A Future Uncertain
by Lights-Writes
Summary: Hermione and Ron attempt to see the future, but what will happen once she gets back to the real world and the life she has is no longer the life she wants? Will Hermione get the future she knows she can no longer have, or will she accept her fate and wonder forever what could have been? Dramione.
1. Prologue

**"I find it kinda funny. I find it kinda sad. The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had," Gary Jules.**

Prologue

"Hermione! Bloody hell, are you even listening to me?" Ron's face was starting to get a red tint in frustration. "You have to drink the potion!"

"I will, _Ronald._ I simply don't see why anyone would want to see the future, even after knowing it's a future that you could never possibly have once you've seen it," she snapped. "What if its something I would have wanted for myself and then I can't have it... and only after three days of experiencing it? I don't want to have knowingly taken away that option."

She glared at the spell and read it once more.

_After drinking the potion one must complete the spell in order to foresee what could have been._

_Foresee what could have been? That already sounds terrible! Why would anyone want that? _

_Once you have arrived in your future, you will no longer have the possibility of this future. This spell chooses a future at random, and has no bearing on what the caster may have wanted in the future. However, many wizards and witches still find the spell to give clarity with their divination adventures afterward._

Ron had gotten quite good at divination over the years, and as a seventh year student, he said that he wanted to try something more advanced. He still needed help with making the potion. That's where Hermione came in. She had no doubts that she would be able to make the potion correctly, and they would both surely be able to handle the spell, but she still had doubts of the practicality of this. She was downright angry when he had originally brought the spell to her, but after weeks of him talking about how much it would mean to him, her resolve had crumbled, and she had finally caved in. That didn't mean she had to like it.

"We've been through this, it's only three days, and even if it's a "_potential future that has been taken away_" as you like to put it, you may still be able to have a similar one." Ron gave her a smile and laughed lightly,"Are you worried you won't be able to have a future with me after this?"

She smiled, although still a little worried.

"Fine, but this won't mess up time in the _real_ world will it?"

"Don't worry Mione, you'll be back in time for your Charms exam."

Hermione sighed. Ron had been her boyfriend for just a few months now and he'd been uninterested in her academic pursuits. She was silently hoping that after this he would make a better attempt to be involved in her interests.

"I'll see you in three days," she downed the potion and gave him a small smile. "Procul futurae," and with a flick of her wand she was gone.


	2. Finding Answers

**"Hope there's a reason for questions unanswered, I just don't see everything," Drowning Pool.**

Chapter 1: Finding answers

Hermione landed softly on a bed with green silk sheets and a plush white comforter. The walls were a bright yellow, and the room had little room for more than the two dressers and the bed. She walked over to the taller traditional wooden dresser, opening the first drawer she found an assortment of silk boxers in various colours.

_This doesn't look like something that Ron would wear, _she thought. She shut the drawer and opened the bedroom door. In front of her was a small living room with light blue walls with one brick-accent wall with two windows on it. The living room had a kitchen attached to it with barely any transition to even say it was a separate room. It felt more like a living room with a kitchen set up in the corner, but by no means looked cheap. On the contrary, she thought it enhanced how comfortable the room looked, and the traditional furniture gave it a sophisticated touch.

After looking for evidence of the anonymous inhabitant she discovered a two things: They didn't have a single picture in the house. And the apartment was in the muggle part of London.

After waiting around a few minutes, she became increasingly jittery. What is there to do in unfamiliar territory with no one around? Figuring she would be home alone for quite some time, she took her wand out of her pocket, acciod her keys and jacket, and left to find answers. Hermione walked down tree flights of stairs before landing on the ground floor that had only one door adorned with a plaque on it.

Oella Leasing

Landlord: Grant Waters

She knocked on the door and shifted nervously. _How am I going to ask questions without seeming like a crazy person?_ Before she could turn around and go back up the stairs to plan out a way to ask questions about her now-life, the door opened.

A tall, quite good looking man, with dusty blonde hair and brown eyes opened the door. He looked to be in his late twenties and had a friendly demeanor. He looked Hermione up and down and smiled, "Well, if it isn't Miss Tooth. I don't think you've knocked on my door since before you moved in two years ago. What can I do for you?" Hermione looked at him confused for a few moments.

_Miss tooth? Am I in hiding? Please... oh please don't let this be a terrible future where the death eaters have won!_

"Oh... uh. Yes, Mr..." she glanced at the name on the door, "Waters, I was wondering if I could have a copy of the lease. I've seemed to have misplaced mine and figured I should have some sort of documentation for future reference."

Hermione saw a flash of disappointment before he turned around and ruffled through the file cabinet. He hadn't invited her in so she stood in the doorway awkwardly looking at the paint chipping on the corner of the door leading outside.

"Beverly?" he asked a little unsure.

_Is he taking to me?_

Hermione turned her attention back to the handsome man, "Oh, uh... pardon me, I'm just a little hungry. Are there any cafes you would recommend near by?"

"Actually, I'm feeling a little hungry myself. There's a sandwich shop about two blocks from here. May I could join you?" He looked a little too eager, but Hermione needed answers.

"That would be lovely. Do you have my lease?"

He smiled brightly and handed her a folder, "Wait a moment while I get my coat."

The trip to the cafe was short, and Grant asked quite a few questions about her personal life that made her uncomfortable. She was starting to wonder if she could live three days not knowing anything about her past and get away with it. The room was small and there was only one, overwhelmed, waitress attending all the tables. She glanced at the newcomers and walked over to their table.

The waitress, Shelby, rolled her eyes and grimaced, "What can I get for you?"

Before Hermione could answer Grant smirked at the waitress, "We'll have two turkey sandwiches." With a glare aimed at Hermione, the waitress turned on her heel and departed. "So, does Ferris know you're here?"

Hermione assumed that was the man she was living with and thought of a quick lie. "Uh, well he knew I would be getting the lease today, but I haven't had the time to tell him we're out to lunch, obviously."

A dark look flickered over his face, and she felt as if the room was just a little smaller. She looked away, feeling uncomfortable.

"Actually, he's going to be home within the hour, so maybe we should get this food to go?" she lied while fiddling with the hem of her navy blue skirt.

"Hm... I suppose." He enunciated each word slowly, "If that's what you want"

Looking past Hermione he yelled, "Shelby!"

Turning angrily at the rude call, the waitress hissed, "Yes, _Grant_?"

About five minutes of small talk about how he had become a landlord at such a young age (a gift from his father), and learning why the waitress seemed angry with them (a relationship that ended poorly), their food arrived packed and ready to go.

Hermione and Grant walked in silence until they arrived at the complex. Hermione thought about how unproductive that had been, she hadn't gotten any answers to the million questions she had.

"Beverly?"

At this she turned, wanting desperately to go back to her apartment and stay there until her mystery man arrived home.

"Remember, my door is always open for you."

Hermione smiled stiffly, turned, and walked back up to her flat.

She sat in the flat and studied the two signatures on the lease. It was her handwriting, but the name was wrong. _Why is my name Beverly Tooth? _She came to the conclusion, from the still-paintings on the wall and the fact that Ferris Ferret is a very muggle name, that she was dating a muggle.

She was disappointed that she wasn't in a relationship with Ron. She always assumed that she would end up with Ron in any future she envisioned. Maybe Ferris was a cover, maybe she wasn't _really _ involved with him, maybe she was still seeing Ron behind Ferris' back. _I would never use someone like that, muggle or not. _Maybe she was running from something?

While thinking over what type of man he would be, she heard a rustle at the door and the lock turn. Hermione's heart sped up. Suddenly the way she was sitting felt very uncomfortable, she couldn't make any position she sat in feel casual, so she stood up. The door opened and in walked "...Malfoy?"


	3. Not an Actress

**"I don't want the world to see me, cause I don't think that they'd understand. When everything's made to be broken, I just want you to know who I am," Goo Goo Dolls.**

Chapter 2: Not an Actress

"...Malfoy?"

He eyes widened slightly for a moment, and his hand paused in the air on the way to get the folder that was being held under his arm. Draco shook his head. _Skipping out on work early just to role-play? _

Draco was worried when Hermione's secretary had called him about leaving work early because she was sick. Now he was immensely pleased, not only that she wasn't sick, but that she had come home just to surprise him with another one of her escapades.

With his back towards her, Draco tossed the folder onto the table and smirked. Attempting to hide his excitement behind a cool demeanor he turned around.

"What do you want, Granger?"

Granger? Why is Malfoy in my house? Where is Ferris?

Hermione realized that he had used the front door instead of appariting directly inside. _Did Malfoy just break into my house? _She regretted assuming that it would be her partner that would walk through the door. She should have spent a little less time trying to get comfortable and a little more time preparing for a threat. Her hand pocketed her wand, preparing for a fight.

Malfoy looked in his mid-twenties. He loosened his emerald green tie, his blonde hair now grazing the collar of his white button down shirt. He stared at her haughtily while folding his right sleeve up his arm. _He still thinks he's superior to me!_ she thought, with a hex ready to pass through her lips_. _

After the war most pure-blood supremacist families had renounced their blood-purity views... except the Malfoys. They hadn't even hinted remorse when their trial went to the Wizengamot. Many wizards and witches thought the families that pleaded innocent were just trying to evade Azkaban, and Hermione felt inclined to agree, but the Malfoys could have _at least_ denounced their ways! Of course Malfoy wouldn't change. Hermione felt the need to hit something.

"I'll only repeat myself once, Granger. What do you want?" he asked, still staring at her. He was rolling his left sleeve up when something caught Hermione's eye. It felt as if cold water had just been poured over her head.

"You're a bloody death eater!?" she screamed. His eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly in shock. It was something that hadn't been confirmed yet, and now that she knew, she was seeing red. She knew his dislike for muggle-borns, but she didn't think he had had the guts to commit to a group so terrible as the Death Eaters so young.

She drew her wand out of her pocket and marched across the room pointing it directly at his chest. "Get. Out. Now." She looked at him through squinted eyes, disgusted.

It was at that moment Draco realized that this wasn't going to be an experiment with nice shag at the end. She'd never been that good of an actress, and this was definitely not sexy.

"I wont ask you twice, Malfoy."

Draco didn't understand what was going on or why she was behaving like this. His grey eyes were wavering between her brown ones, looking alarmed and concerned.

"Hermione, sit down," he pleaded. He raised his pale hands as if surrendering.

She stood her ground and glared at him, waiting for him to draw his wand before actually hexing him. Draco was not comfortable being at the end her wand when she looked so dangerous. Since asking nicely hadn't worked, he mustered all the confidence he had and ordered, "_Hermione, sit down. _Now_." _

She didn't move, and scoffed at his tone. Draco was running out of options, and tried one last time to get her to calm down. "Love?" he said warmly.

Hermione looked away for a moment with her eye brows knitted together. There was something she wasn't remembering. Draco took the opportunity to snatch her wand from her hand. Hermione dropped her arm. Fight or flight kicked in, and she decided to fight. Her fist had almost collided with his chin when his arm blocked the attack. He pulled her body forcibly to his to thwart another attack. Hermione struggled, trying to escape from his grasp, but he wouldn't let go.

"If you want me to let go you are going to have to calm down," he hissed. _Like devils snare,_ she thought, _just play dead, and he will let you live_. Hermione wondered is sunlight affected him in a similar way. _He's so pale I wouldn't be surprised._

She stopped struggling and his embrace loosened, his gaze lowering to hers. His hands shifted, now resting on her shoulders. He gave her a light squeeze. "Hermione please, what has gotten into you?"

Hermione realized her mistake just a few minutes too late. She had forgotten this wasn't her world, and now her next three days would be spent in the loony bin.

_Oh no._

Hermione looked left and right, trying to recall the layout of the room. She needed to access the situation and come up with a plan. She needed time for that. Time, she knew, Malfoy wasn't going to let her have. Hermione threw her arms between his and pushed outward, removing his hands from her shoulders. Without waiting another moment she sprinted to the bedroom, locked herself in, and threw herself on the bed.

That was not the bravest thing Hermione could have done, but she really did need to think of a plan. It was essential if she wanted to keep her freedom until she could get back to real time. She flipped onto her back, now staring at the ceiling emptily with her arms resting casually by her side. Hermione replayed the conversation in her head countless times without coming up with a solution to make the situation better. After a few minutes it occurred to her, _"I could just lie_." Sure, it's not something that she would usually do, but desperate times...

Hermione could blame it on post-war stress, but that would surely include one to many trips to doctors. She needed an excuse that was plausible, yet not enough to get her locked away before she could experience her future.

After playing out a few different scenarios in her mind she decided the best way to fix this was to walk right out the room and tell Malfoy it was all a joke. A not very funny joke, but she could just say that she was practicing her acting skills_. _No explanation, rhyme or reason to her acting, she just wanted to see if she had good acting skills. It was a pretty far stretch to be believable, but she had to try something.

Hermione stood, pulled her shirt down to where it would rest naturally, and walked to the door leading to the living room. She stood in front of the mirror hanging on the door. Hermione studied her appearance. She looked slightly older, mid-twenties she guessed, like Draco. Although she didn't think she looked much different, she noticed she looked womanly, more feminine. She had slightly more curves now, her breasts were now at least a b-cup. She had gained at least one stone over the past few years. Her hair was still bushy, but not unkempt, and was now a lighter brown. _Looks like future-Hermione had learned a few beauty spells_, she thought appreciatively. After a few more seconds of staring at herself in the mirror for assurance, she nodded at the reflection and opened the door.

Hermione stole a peak around the door before tentatively stepping into the room.

Draco was sitting on a chair in the living room with his back hunched over. He looked distraught. His legs were spread wide with his elbows resting on his knees, and his hands were covering his face as if to attempt to shield himself from reality. The floorboards squeaked lightly underneath her feet, until she stood in front of him.

"D-Draco?" she stuttered, the words feeling unfamiliar on her lips, but she assured herself it was a good way to gain his trust.

At his name he spread his fingers, his eyes showing no emotion, he peered at her through the space between his fingers and waited for her to speak.

Hermione cleared her throat and looked out the window behind him. "I was just kidding. You know that right?" She looked back at him, but his eyes still watching her expressionlessly. She gazed out the window once more, "Before, when I yelled at you, it was just a joke."

After a few moments with no response Hermione looked back at Draco. He had dropped his hands from his face and they were now clasped together in front of him with his elbows still resting on his knees. His mouth opened as if to yell for a moment, but last minute had decided against it. She started to shift nervously under his scrutiny, and her eyes moved to look at the floor.

"Why are you lying to me?" he inquired. He looked like he was trying to solve a particularly difficult equation rather than trying to understand why Hermione was acting like a nutter.

"I-I'm not, Draco it was just act-"

"Don't you dare lie to me! Don't you dare say it was a joke! I know you. You can't stand to look at people when you lie to them because it makes you uncomfortable seeing them believe your dishonesty. And_ this_ is what you decide your first lie to me should be? And for what? You may need help, Hermione. You- you might need help that I alone can't provide. How can you stand in front of me and lie about something so serious!?"

He had stood up somewhere during his outburst, and his tall, slender form was now towering over her. Hermione refused to be intimidated, with or without her wand. "Listen here, _Malfoy_," Hermione said, narrowing her eyes while jabbing her finger at Draco's chest. "_I. am. not. lying_."

Ignoring her assault, his thin lips twitched while snorting lightly and rolling his eyes. He thought it sounded like she was starting to believe her own lies. 'Five years of honesty down the drain,' he thought, shaking his head a few times while looking at the floor. Lifting his eyes slowly to hers he repeated her words from earlier, "Malfoy, huh?"

Her eyes grew wide, realizing her slip up. He laughed humorlessly at her reaction and ran his hands through his hair.

_Shite! I did say I was a terrible actress, right?_

"Well, _Gra__nger,_" he said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "We can do this one of two ways. You tell me the truth, _or_ I will use Veritaserum." He shrugged his shoulders and folded his hands in front of him, "It's your choice."

_This is a nightmare_.

Muggle? Fine.

Stranger? Sure.

Malfoy? Never!

_What kind of sick spell was this? Was she really going to be trapped with Malfoy for three days? _She wanted to vomit. _When I get back to reality I am going to hex Ron for this!_ Hermione sat on the couch across from the chair Draco had been sitting in earlier.

"I can't trust you," she whispered, defeated, with her hands covering her face similarly to how Draco had when she had first walked in. She felt the cushion next to her dip as he sat down.

He lightly grasped her hands and removed them from her face. Hermione looked into his eyes. They didn't make her uncomfortable like she had thought they would. If it were even possible they reassured her she wouldn't be alone.

"I love you, Hermione."

Hermione looked away. His eyes told her he wasn't lying. It seemed so impossible that she could have fallen in love with Draco in her future.

He waited until she turned back to face him. "You can trust me with anything."

She couldn't believe she was even thinking it, but he seemed like he really cared. Maybe she _could_ trust him. However making him listen to her about why she's behaving this way was a completely different story. She absently looked around the room. After a few seconds Hermione decided it would probably make things easier if she told him the truth, on the off-chance he believed her. Maybe telling the truth would help her to better understand this future.

A future that had her in a relationship with Draco_ sodding _Malfoy, Slytherin sex god, tormentor of her childhood, and monster to all that is different from him.

Hermione let out a short, jagged breath, "Well, it all started with a relatively new divination spell."


	4. Malfoy's Idea

**"Memories, oh they cut like knives. Deep inside I'm falling. Baby, catch me if you can," Mayday Parade.**

Chapter 3: Malfoy's Idea

They sat in silence staring at the floor for what seemed like an eternity. His silence telling Hermione that she would be locked up very soon.

"I believe you," he said suddenly. "I've never used that spell myself. I prefer to just let things play out naturally. It never made sense to me why anyone would want to take away an option for their future," he said, more to himself than to her.

Draco looked like he was in deep thought. He stood and started pacing around the room while Hermione sat on the couch watching him through careful eyes. Looking directly at her he addressed her again, "Here's what you're going to do, you are not to speak of this to anyone. It's out of the question. You are not to tell anyone about what you've done." Draco was preparing for a fight, but Hermione was relieved. She didn't want anyone to know that she was from the past, and one too many people already knew.

When enough time passed where he knew she was not going to start an argument he spoke once more. "Also, we're supposed to attend dinner at my parents house in an hour," Draco said, looking at her apologetically.

"We're going to skip it," she nodded, watching him.

"No," his said narrowing his eyes. "Your relationship with them is already strained enough as it is. Your attendance is mandatory."

"Well that's all the more reason not to go," she argued.

"Hermione, you can't ruin this for us."

"I can't be around them. They-" Hermione paused. It would be rude to talk poorly of someones family in front of them, but then she thought about who they were, and all the people they harmed during the war.

Attempting to sound authoritative, she spoke once more, "I refuse to be around terrible people. Their goal is to rid the world people like me. Do you not remember the war?"

"They're not terrible people!" Draco yelled. "You grew up differently than us! You weren't taught to think traditionally like us. You haven't walked a minute in our shoes! You guys won the war, you-"

"_We _won the war? Tell me Malfoy, do _you_ still believe in bad blood? Am I _still _not worthy of magic?" Hermione sat on the edge of her seat, with her nails digging into the couch. "I hate to break it to you, but the wizarding world is better off without your prejudices. Wizards and Witches aren't worried about their loved ones going 'missing'. People aren't being _murdered._ Your intolerant ways have no place in this world anymore."

Draco stood motionless, letting the words sit in. He couldn't believe that Hermione still thought this after five years of being together.

"I have spent every day making amends to you for what I did in the war! Why would I propose to you if I still believed in all the things I did before the war? I moved here for you to be happy! So we could start our lives together away from the mess in the wizarding world... I use the blasted front door because you wanted to submerge yourself in muggle life! How can you question my support for freedom after all this time?"

Hermione realized she probably shouldn't have been so temperamental towards the first questionable thing Draco said.

This was Malfoy though. She wasn't used to a decent Draco. In fact, if anyone had asked her a few minutes ago if it were possible for Draco to be decent, she'd laugh until the owls came home.

The conversation replayed in her head. A pleasant Malfoy was improbable, yes, but not impossible. Her face grew pale when she thought about the significance of what he said.

"We're engaged?" Hermione asked quietly. If this were true, things were much more serious than she had originally thought.

Draco sobered, suddenly remembering their predicament. "I'm sorry, I just... forgot about this," he said, one hand waving between them. Draco took a deep breath and answered her previous question, "Yes, we're engaged."

"I don't have a wedding ring," she replied factually. It was possible that they were strapped for money. For all she knew they could have meager wages and live on donations for food.

Draco rolled his eyes. "For some silly reason, you didn't want a ring. You said it was '_an impractical way to spend money_'. Although, I did buy you a house."

"You bought a house instead of a ring? Honestly, if I didn't want you to spend money on a ring, why would I want you to buy me a house?"

"Well, you did say 'impractical', and buying a house isn't impractical You also don't know that I have bought it yet," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "Plus, we're going need somewhere to stay once we're married, magically bound, and live in the wizarding world once more," he said waving dismissively.

Why wouldn't he just choose a house with her? Isn't that something that couples did together? And what on earth was this rubbish about being magically bond? She assumed he was speaking of a wizarding marriage bond. Hermione had read about these types of bonds in passing and knew two things: they are rare, and they are extreme. These bonds were created for witches and wizards in arranged marriages, usually to ensure fidelity by force, but as times changed the traditions were seen as oppressive and outdated. Why on earth would Malfoy want to do a bond?

"I've accepted a wizarding bond? Why on earth would I do that?" Hermione couldn't imagine having that strong of a commitment with anyone, let alone Malfoy.

Draco laughed, showing his perfect white teeth and shook his head. "I know I seem like the kind of person to propose something so... radical, but that was actually your idea." Hermione's eyes widened. There are some things that are better left in the past, and marriage bonds were one of them.

"I know you don't believe me, but after I proposed, you were interested in reading about Malfoy history. I gave you a book on our customs and traditions, and you came to me once you had finished, telling me that you were interested. Of course, I had never really given much thought about a marriage bond, but when you asked me if I ever thought about it, I couldn't imagine not having one with you. You told me the Malfoy bonds were beautiful."

Draco was reminiscing, and Hermione saw his first genuine smile. A smirk from Draco was one thing, but a _smile_? She was sure no one had seen one until this day. "It is the happiest memory I have of you. I've never felt so loved in my entire life, needless to say, I enthusiastically agreed."

Hermione was shocked. She could never imagine loving someone so much to want to preform a ceremony so extreme. That sort of commitment only meant one thing.

"I love you." It sounded like a statement but was meant like a question. Hermione blushed, hoping it didn't sound like she was saying she loved him. He looked unperturbed by her statement, "Yes, you do, at least in this life. If you love me even a third as much as I do you, we have something that most people couldn't even dream about."

Talking about how much he loves her made Hermione feel uncomfortable, so she decided to change the subject. "So we plan to move back to the wizarding world?"

"Yes, we're moving back after the honeymoon in Morocco," he answered, noticing, but not commenting on the change of subject.

"Why did we move here to begin with? And why would we move back to the wizarding world?"

"Well, you had been talking about creating maps of magical communities and corresponding them with muggle ones. You wanted to work in the wizarding world, but the wizarding papers were starting to take a toll on you. After three years of constantly battling with the media harassing you, you asked if we could move to the muggle world. Of course, I agreed.

"Many people still don't trust Malfoys, and when it comes to our relationship, people are still very judgmental. Even some of your friends still don't accept us."

"Why don't they accept us? If we're 'in love', than what is there to not to accept?"

"It's because my family and I refuse to talk about the war. People don't like that. We don't owe the Daily Prophet anything." He sat down in the chair, rubbing his temples. "You defended me more times than I can count, writing letters to the editor and everything, but they never stopped attacking. I guess it's hard to stop accusing someone of being a bad person when they protected and provided headquarters to the darkest wizard who ever lived. Eventually, they turned to attacking you."

He looked angry for a moment, at himself or the wizarding world she couldn't tell. "I never wanted you to lose your friends over me. I may dislike them, but I know they meant something to you. For a while I thought you would leave me because it wasn't worth the trouble, but over time you stopped talking about them, and eventually, I think you stopped missing them."

Hermione wondered which friends didn't support her, but that was a question for another time. She wanted to know the answer to a question she'd been wondering in her time aswell. "Why wouldn't you save yourself the trouble like everyone else and just tell everyone that your views changed?"

Draco rolled his eyes and shook his head, frowning. "It's just words. Would you honestly believe someone who spent the entire war funding Voldemort suddenly renouncing their ways after they had lost? I know what people say about the Death Eaters and sympathizers that claimed they changed. People don't believe them, they say that they are empty, cowardly, apologies to save their own skin. No one believes them. Hell, I don't believe them. So, we decided to speak through our actions."

Hermione wasn't convinced. "You had something none of the others had. You had Harry's word that you contributed to the demise of Voldemort!"

"We decided the route we were going to take before Potter decided he was going to give his testament. We wanted to prove that we were going to change, that we have changed. Potter's testimony for what we did at the end of the war only made it easier to not repeat the empty apologies that everyone else had. I'd like to say we've spoken through our actions. We have donated countless times to restore the damage we have done.

"We even donated some of our lands to build homes for orphaned children from the war. My mother founded ICHO, Independent Charity Homes for Orphans, it raises funds for the orphaned effected by the war to ensure they receive a proper education. We've proven ourselves, and we didn't need to grovel or apologize to do it."

Hermione was surprised by their charitable actions. She hadn't heard of any donations from Malfoys during her time, so she asked when they had started.

Malfoy looked at the ceiling thoughtfully. "We started the moment the war ended. We gave the lands away before our trials began, and we used to give money yearly to various organizations, until my mother founded ICHO about four years after the war."

He looked back to Hermione and asked, "What year are you from?"

"Right now it's the fifth month after the war."

"We're completing our last year at Hogwarts then, yes?"

Hermione nodded. "We don't even acknowledge each other in the halls."

"Well, that didn't happen until two years after graduation. I guess it will never happen now..." he let the sentence speak for itself on what she had done.

Hermione didn't know what to say, so she remained silent. She wondered if he was mad at her. Of course if she was in his shoes, in a seemingly 'perfect' life, and someone potentially took it away, she would be upset too. Truthfully, Hermione thought that this spell raised more questions than it was worth. Would he still exist after these three days? Or would he continue on with his life in this dimension? Would he remember these three days if his life continued?

Draco seemed to recover from his statement faster than Hermione.

"Anyways, we're due at my parents house in ten minutes. Just act normally, and you will be fine. There's usually not much conversation directed towards you. Usually they ignore you, and you ignore them. Just, please, go change into one of your nicer dresses so we can get this over with."

"I really don't want to go," she complained, but stood up anyways. Draco seemed trustworthy enough not to let anything get out of hand, and her attendance meant something to him.

He smirked, knowing that she had already resolved herself to going. "Don't worry, we won't stay long."

Hermione and Draco stood in front of Malfoy manor. The front of the house was nearly completely covered in ivy. Making the house look neglected and unwelcoming. They stood under the covering of the portico. Hermione tried to block out her nervousness by analyzing Draco.

He looked truly beautiful in the twilight. She noticed he really didn't look all that different than he did during his last year of Hogwarts. He had a stronger jaw line and stubble that graced the lower half of his face, making him look slightly older. He wore the same outfit as earlier with the addition of a waist coat and jacket. And now that Hermione had seen Draco's sweet side, he looked much more appealing than he had at Hogwarts.

Hermione knew the weather in October could get quite chilly, so she decided on wearing a deep purple vintage dress that reached just below her knees, with a turned down collar, and mid-length sleeves. It was classy, yet not overdone for a dinner with family. She wondered if Draco liked the dress.

Before she could think too much into that thought, the front door opened and a vaguely familiar cold voice broke the silence. "Draco, how wonderful it is to see you," drawled the clear voice. She gave a light hug and a peck on the cheek. "You look more like your father every time I see you." Narcissa smiled. She looked older than she had during the war but beautiful nonetheless. Her long hair was now short, reaching just below her ears in an asymmetrical style, with beauty spells keeping her natural grey hairs from shining through.

"Please come in," she said, without sparing Hermione a glance. Draco wasn't exaggerating when he said we ignored each other, Hermione thought, walking through the door that led to the one place she never wanted to step foot in again.

The walls of Malfoy Manor were lined with portraits that remained silent with all eyes were glued to Hermione disapprovingly. Hermione was hyper-aware of how she was walking. She started counting her steps to help stop her from tripping.

Hermione felt someone grab her hand and immediately she jerked away from the unfamiliar touch. Her head jerked towards the perpetrator, only to meet Draco's cool-grey eyes trying to calm her. He gave her a small smile before turning his attention back to walking.

Hermione felt strangely sorry for him_. He's lost his best friend. And replacing her is me, a former version of the woman he loves who wouldn't spend a minute in his company willingly_. He hadn't asked for this. He hadn't asked to come home to a stranger. She felt a little ashamed she disturbed Malfoy's life. He seemed to truly love the life he built for himself. Hermione reached out and held his hand, interlocking their fingers. Hermione hoped the gesture was seen as a peace offering, after all, he may have been cruel to her in the past, but he loved her now. She noticed Draco looked pleased, but didn't look at her again.

They finally entered the dinning room. Narcissa sat in the seat to the left of the head of the table. Draco released Hermione's hand and pulled out her seat, while he sat directly to the right of the head of the table. Hermione knew her seat was purposefully placed to make her feel uncomfortable. She was intentionally the table's outcast. She didn't know if this was a good thing, because she wouldn't have to answer questions, or a bad thing, because they obviously disliked her.

As Hermione took her seat, Lucius walked in and sat down at the head of the table between to the two other Malfoys.

"Draco," Lucius acknowledged, while shifting his eyes to Hermione. "Miss Granger." Narcissa crinkled her nose at the greeting, seeming displeased that her husband had spoken to the unwanted guest. Hermione was pleasantly surprised she wasn't getting the silent treatment from both of the older Malfoys.

They were served by two house elves that seemed to like Hermione. She greeted them politely, earning a smile from them before they went about their business. The room was large, with tall ceilings, and had large french windows covering the wall behind Narcissa. Although the room should have felt spectacular, the combination of more than half the table remaining empty and the silence of the people present, the room felt dull.

They were reaching the end of their meal when Hermione decided to break the silence. "Mrs. Malfoy, how is your charity doing so far this year?"

Narcissa turned her attention to Draco, as if he had asked the question. "It's been wonderful. This year we've raised tuition for eight different children to attend Hogwarts until they graduate. Isn't that wonderful, Draco?"

"That is wonderful mother, but Hermione had asked the question," he replied, as if she were a child.

"Yes, your _plaything," _she seethed.

"Careful," Draco said through his teeth. "She's my fiance, and if you continue to act like this, these meetings are going to disappear." Hermione flinched. Draco knew it was harsh. He also knew Hermione wouldn't be so catty to not visit. However, he was a Slytherin, and sometimes threats are necessary.

Losing her once cool demeanor, Narcissa practically yelled, "She doesn't like me either. At least I'm honest about how I feel. Why do you always-"

Lucius slammed his fists on the table, effectively cutting her off. "_We will not fight against each other." _Lucius straightened his back and looked between the young couple, regaining his normal, cool voice, "I refuse to let this... change of lineage to corrupt our family."

Draco ignored his father. "She does dislike you, probably just as much as you her, but _she_ does so behind closed doors. It's not acceptable to do it openly." With that Draco stood and faced his father. "I'd like to use the library." Lucius nodded and with that, Draco grabbed Hermione's arm, pulled her from her chair, and left.

They walked fast, nearly jogging, in silence. Hermione couldn't believe that Draco stood up for her as he did. She never thought Draco would defend anyone but himself.

Draco was livid. He hated when his mother treated Hermione like she was just a phase in his life that he would suddenly get over after enough insults.

Draco realized he was holding Hermione's arm too tightly, more than likely scaring her. He loosened his grip and slowed his pace. "Sorry about that, I'm not used to you two talking. That was... not normal. As I said, you guys usually ignore each other."

Draco knew she probably wanted to ask him why he wanted to go to the library, so he offered the information willingly. "There's something that I'd like to show you if you're willing." Hermione agreed, silently hoping it wouldn't be a book to read. Any other day would be fine, but she only had a little over two days to explore this future, and she wanted to make the most of it.

They reached the library after what seemed like an eternity. It was grand, like the rest of the manor. There was a sturdy wooden desk in the back of the room with its front facing the door. The library had two stories worth of shelves bordering the room packed with books with a balcony to walk on around the top half of the room. Closer to the door, there was a small sitting area with leather furniture.

It was beautiful, but not as nearly as extensive as the Hogwarts library. That was, until she saw Draco mumble an incantation and parts of the floorboard under the desk folded under, leaving large hole in the floor under the now-floating desk.

Draco walked to the back of the room and sat on the desk. Hermione hesitated, unsure if he wanted her to sit with him. He smirked at her hesitation. She narrowed her eyes and smiled back playfully before jumping on the desk, and with a nonverbal incantation, they descended into the underground.

The underground was dark. Even with torches illuminating shelves every few feet, the room was one large shadow. Hermione saw no windows, and the the entire room was made of stone. After a few minutes her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and she saw the room clearly.

It was a hidden section of their library. Hermione didn't have to look at the books to know what they were. She could _feel_ the dark magic radiating from the books.

Hermione was both disturbed and fascinated by the underground library. If she included both the upstairs and underground library, it nearly rivaled the Hogwarts library. And if she was comparing banned books and dark magic collections, Hermione guessed the Malfoys had the largest collection in England, maybe even all of Europe.

She heard Malfoy's footsteps leading her further into the room. He didn't stop to see if she was following. She assumed he either knew that she would follow, or he could hear her footsteps behind him. Once they reached the back of the room, Draco stopped walking and opened another door. This room was circular, with ancient ruins carved into the stone walls, and three rings surrounding the center of the room. Within the smallest circle stood a large stone basin with a silver fog hovering at the top, threatening to spill its contents.

Hermione knew exactly what it was. Harry had spoken of them after the war. They were rare indeed, and often times hidden for protection, making them even more precious.

After all, you wouldn't want just anyone looking at your memories.

"A Pensive?" Hermione barely whispered, uncertain of what he was about to show her.

**A/N: Hello everyone, I just wanted to say thank you to the people that followed & reviewed my story. :) ILOVEYOUALL! Seriously, every time I saw a new follower, I was so happy that I practically screamed at my boyfriend.**

**-Lights**


	5. Where are We?

**"And I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways, maybe just the touch of a hand. Well, me—I fall in love with you every single day," Ed Sheeran.**

Chapter 4: Where are We?

"A Pensieve?" Hermione whispered.

Hermione had never used one before, and was slightly apprehensive of entering one with memories from only the Malfoy family. Hermione looked to Draco for an explanation and saw his wand dragging a silver string from his temple. He did this several times, each time placing the strings into the basin.

"You know what I'm doing right?"

"You want me to watch your memories," Hermione answered, feeling as if she were stating the obvious.

"Yes. I want you to watch a few specific memories." Draco cautioned, "memories about us."

Hermione was pleased he had cared enough to do this. Naturally, she wanted to know what had led up to them falling in love. Falling in love with Malfoy was definitely something she needed to see to believe. She had to admit it was clever for him to think of this.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yeah? I mean, the more I know about this future, the better right? I have little time here, and this is the fastest way."

"My thoughts exactly. Whenever you're ready Hermione, " he said, while taking his shoe off, transfiguring it into a large leather chair, and sitting down.

She took a few steps forward, and grabbed the side of the basin. Without glancing back, she dived into the first memory he prepared for her.

Hermione landed in a ballroom. It was grand in size, and had candles hovering over the finely dressed people. Then she heard a voice- her voice- asking for everyone's attention. Hermione looked up and herself on stage announcing the events itinerary. She looked professional, but not much different than she does now. She saw a flash of blond hair out the corner of her eye fighting his way through the crowd towards the exit. She wanted to stay and watch her speech, but this was Draco's memory, so, weaving through the crowd, she followed him out the door.

The night was warm, with various creatures making light noises in the background. They were on a small patio surrounded by large, neatly trimmed bushes. There was no one around, save for Draco. He reached in his pocket, opened his pack, and lit a cigarette with the tip of his wand. He took a long drag and walked over to one of three benches in the sitting area of the patio. He sat back with one arm on the back of the bench and the hand with the cigarette on the arm rest. He didn't look as if he was thinking anything of importance, if anything he looked bored.

His cigarette was half gone before the inside noise broke the silence and a door closed. Hermione watched as future-Hermione sat down on the bench across from them. The silence dragged on, and she had to wonder why she came out here in the first place.

Hermione decided to break the silence.

"Of all the Muggle inventions to use, and you choose cigarettes?"

Putting out the cigarette on on the ground, he rolled his eyes.

"I'm self medicating, Granger."

"How so?" Hermione inquired, looking genuinely interested.

Draco seemed skeptical. Of the conversation, or who the conversation was with, Hermione couldn't tell.

"They calm me. I haven't spent much time with large groups of people. Not many people have wanted to associate with me since Hogwarts, and these types of events make me... upset." He tilted his head from side to side, uncomfortable with the confession. "These events are fun for the people on your side of the war, but for people like me, we're not here for fun. We're here for money and so the ministry can keep an eye on us."

"That's not true," Hermione said simply.

"Exactly what isn't true?" Draco said through his teeth, preparing for a fight.

"You're not here because of your money, and the Ministry isn't watching you."

"You don't know anything," he said, calmly pulling out another cigarette. He put it between his teeth, his shaggy hair falling into his eyes as he reached in his pocket for his wand. There was a pregnant pause before she spoke again.

"You're here because I invited you, Draco."

He paused his movements, looking up at Hermione. He grabbed the unlit cigarette from his mouth, and narrowed his eyes at her.

The vision faded before the scene truly finished, and the room spun beneath her feet. The room Hermione fell in this time was dark with stone walls, and floor-to-ceiling windows covered by thick burgundy curtains. Draco was relaxing on the couch, half a bottle into his Firewiskey, with only the crackle of the fireplace to keep him company. He was lazily swirling his liquid in the glass when Hermione burst through the door.

"Why are you avoiding me?!"

The outburst startled Draco, causing him to spill his drink on his lap and jump from his seat.

"How did you get in my house?!"

"That's not important!" she yelled back. "It's been two months and not a word from you. What happened to our meetings? I invited you to the fundraiser as my guest, not a date. You shouldn't treat your friends like this."

"Your right, because dates are something two people agree upon, _Granger," _he snapped. "Why _did_ you invite me? Everything was fine how it was, we would meet, have a few drinks, talk a little, and leave. We never talked outside of the pub, so what made you think you can invite me to events with you? You think that because we talk that we're suddenly friends? News flash, I don't have friends!"

"Why can't we be friends, _Draco_?" she said, while taking a step towards him. "You trust me. I trust you. We enjoy each others company. We talk weekly. You've become one of the only people that I can have an honest conversation with, but for some reason you can't even tell me that you don't want to see me anymore? I'm not worth an owl to you?"

Setting his glass down he stepped around the table. Towering over Hermione he asked, "Why did you invite me?"

"You're always talking about not having anyone to talk to besides me, so I figured you needed to get out of your comfort zone. I didn't want to tell you, because I didn't want you to say no," she sighed. "I shouldn't have done it behind your back, but I like you. You're a good person, and I want you to be happy."

The fire died down to embers and Draco smirked, knowing that she would notice he dimmed the fire on purpose.

"Why did you do that?" she asked, rolling her eyes.

"Do what?" he replied, innocently.

"You're drunk," she said, motioning to the bottle.

"You're not sober either. I know for a fact that you were sitting at the bar, drinking, just waiting for me to show up," he put his finger on his cheek in mock thought and asked, "Now, why would you wait for someone at a pub that hasn't been there in over two months?"

"Because you're my friend-"

"I don't think that's it," he interrupted, smirking once more. "Wouldn't a friend just ask the other person to meet them there? A friend wouldn't spend two months hoping that their friend would show up. No, that's not it... I think you've fallen for me."

Hermione scoffed. "Not likely, you know the kind of people I've dated. They are kind, and thoughtful, and they certainly wouldn't avoid me."

"Sure, those are people that you have dated in the past, but guess what? You're not with them anymore." Hermione could tell she liked him. After all, this was just her in the future. Draco seemed to know too. "Just admit that you like me."

Hermione's eyes looked around the room and settled on Draco. "Fine, I like you. But as it stands, you are avoiding me, and I want it to stop. We've been friends for a while now, and I'd like it to go back to how it was."

Draco leaned forward, whispering something into Hermione's ear that made her back straighten and her body gravitate towards him.

Hermione couldn't catch what was said between the couple, and although curious, she didn't want to move any closer to find out.

Draco kissed a spot below her ear. She tilted her neck to give him better access and his tongue darted out tracing a circle where his lips had been. His mouth returned, sucking on the skin, making Hermione's eyes close and a moan of pleasure escape her lips. He withdrew, smiling, and with his hands on her hips, he pressed their bodies together. Moving slowly he moved along her jaw until he made contact with her lips. Hermione's hands moved slowly along his arms, resting one on his shoulder, the other pulling his hair lightly. In response, his fingers grabbed the bottom of her shirt and quickly began to remove it.

Even though, she knew she should feel uncomfortable, she wasn't. Instead, she found that she couldn't look away.

Hermione thought it was interesting, their first kiss was similar to their relationship; Slow, meaningful, and steadily built over time.

The memory began to blur, and Hermione remembered that she wasn't here to watch the details. She was here to see how the relationship grew.

From an outsiders perspective, their relationship seemed inevitable. They had formed a relationship on trust and friendship, and then wanted more from each other. It seemed simple, but knowing their past, she wondered what had happened during their meetings to change each others minds.

She landed in familiar territory this time. It was cluttered, clean, and felt like home. Although, the yelling didn't fit with the wonderful memories from the home. She ran to the other room to see what could possibly create this kind of commotion at the Burrow. Hermione, Ron, Harry, and Draco were standing on one side of the room and the remaining Weasleys on the other.

Ginny was yelling a string of profanities at Hermione while in between insulting Draco. His past, his attitude, his Death Eater status, she wasn't backing down. All the while, Hermione was waving her arms actively trying to defend Draco. She knew she didn't get angry this often, but this was something she was obviously passionate about. Harry and Ron didn't take part in the defense, but were standing with their friend for support. It made Hermione proud to call them her best friends. They hated him, but they loved her more.

Draco was staring daggers at the young woman that was yelling at Hermione, but remained silent. Hermione knew he didn't say anything because he had already resolved to being unwelcome. She felt pity for Draco. He already knew people wouldn't accept them as a couple, but he still let her try to convince the world around them. She knew that her future-self didn't realize it yet, but this is one of the many situations that would eventually make them leave the wizarding world.

"Maybe it would be best if you took your leave," Molly suggested, seeming to agree with the younger red-head.

Hermione looked at Molly, her jaw clenched with her hands balled in fists by her sides. Before anyone could act, Hermione swiftly removed her wand from her pocket and pointed it behind the offending group.

"Incendio!"

The attention shifted to the corner of the room where Hermione had, effectively, lit the Christmas tree on fire.

With that, Hermione grabbed Draco's hand and dissaparated.

The memory shifted, and she landed in the snow covered streets of Hogsmeade. It was daylight, with plenty of people walking along the various shops. The couple walked slowly, hand-in-hand, caught in their own world.

"I'd like to take a longer walk today, if that's alright?" He was nervous. Hermione knew what was about to happen. She wondered if her future-self knew too.

"If that's what you want, but remember we need time to get ready for your parent's dinner tonight," she replied, giving him a meaningful look.

Draco shook his head and laughed. "Don't worry, we'll still have plenty of time for that."

They walked a short while, leaving the city center of Hogsmead, and entering the residential part for privacy. They stopped in front of the largest home on the street. Although it was grand in size, it looked comfortable and inviting.

Draco got on one knee, and before he had time to ask the question Hermione had already answered. "Yes!" Without a moments hesitation he stood, picked her up, and kissed her passionately. He set her down, their noses now touching. "Only you would answer a question as important as that before I had time to properly ask."

"Why wait to answer a question you already know the answer to?" Hermione could hear the smile in her voice from only a few paces away.

The vision blurred, but this time Hermione landed back in the room covered in ruins.

Draco looked at Hermione passively and asked how it went.

"I think I understand things a lot better now." She paused, "Thank you, for thinking of that. That was brilliant."

Hermione understood why she would fall for him. He is handsome, caring, romantic, loyal, and overall trustworthy. She never thought she would see the day that she would think 'Draco' and 'Trustworthy' in the same sentence. It was a pleasant thought, that enemies can become friends, lovers even. She found herself wanting to know more about Draco. What made him change his mind about her? What influenced his decision to talk to her at the Leaky Cauldron? And why would he go through the trouble of being a couple when the world would never accept them?

"I know you have questions, but it's getting late. We should be getting back home."

She noticed he was asking for permission, so she nodded and held out her hand.

He shook his head. "We have to go to the main floor to apparate."

Her hand didn't falter, and she kept her eyes fixed on his.

After a moment, he gave a broad smile, accepted her hand, and led them back the way they came.


	6. Let's Go

**"Have faith in me, cause there are things that I've seen I don't believe. So cling to what you know, and never let go. You should know things aren't always what they seem," A Day to Remember.**

Chapter 5: Let's Go

Hermione had changed into pajamas and was laying on the couch in their living room when Draco walked out from their bedroom in a loose-fitting shirt and boxers.

"Hermione, you're not sleeping out here." Hermione looked up and saw Draco leaning in the doorway with his arms crossed.

"Yes, I am. I'm a guest in your home. I'm not kicking you out of your own bed."

Draco chuckled. "I wasn't offering to sleep out here, and it's _our _bed."

"I'm not sleeping with you," she stated, shaking her head at his last statement.

"There's room for two."

He was pushing this, but she wasn't going to give in. Hermione sat up, tucking the blanket under her arms to keep her warm. "I've seen the room. I know the bed is large enough. That's not the point."

Draco rolled his eyes, undisturbed. "And that is?"

"We're not _really_ together, and quite honestly, we haven't had a decent conversation," Draco's eyes narrowed before she continued, "before today."

He look slightly peeved. "Where did you think you were going to sleep if not with me?"

Hermione's cheeks reddened and looked around uncomfortably.

"Well?"

"I didn't know it would be you."

"Your point?" he said, practically through his teeth.

Well, that wasn't the right answer, and this conversation was not going well.

"I wasn't expecting you to be in my future," she sighed. "I thought it was going to be Ron, or someone else, but you hadn't even crossed my mind as a possibility. And to be fair, we were never friends, and although the memories were helpful, I still really don't know you."

Draco's cool eyes were fixed on hers, abruptly he turned, left the door frame, and receded into the room. Hermione threw herself back on the couch. It seemed Malfoy didn't deal well with losing arguments. _No surprise there, _she thought, _he was always a spoiled prat. _

A few moments later, Draco came out with two blankets and a pillow. The first blanket was placed on the floor, and folded in half. He placed the pillow on the floor and wrapped the second blanket around himself like a cape. He then laid on the floor facing away from her.

Hermione looked over the edge of the couch, her brows furrowed and her mouth agape. He knew she was staring at him, but he was going to ignore her unless she said something. Hermione couldn't form words. _Draco Malfoy_ was about to _sleep_ on the _floor_. And why? Because she didn't want to share a bed with him? _This could be the strangest thing I've ever seen. _She turned around, facing the back of the couch, keeping her thoughts to herself.

She waited until she heard his steady breathing before conjuring a mattress, and laying him on top. Her last thought before sleep claimed her was that he really does not take losing arguments well.

Hermione woke up to the smell of coffee and breakfast. She walked to the bathroom to freshen up, and when she came out breakfast was already set on the table. Draco was sipping his drink, ignoring her presence.

Tentatively, Hermione sat down. "Morning," she said, breaking the silence.

Hermione waited for a response, but didn't receive one. They ate most of their meal in silence before he asked her if she wanted any coffee. He came back with coffee and sat down once more.

"Are we not going to talk about last night?"

"Unless something happened that I don't know about, there's nothing to talk about," he replied cheekily.

She looked down, twisting her coffee cup by its rim, annoyed. "Obviously, I'm referring to why you were so adamant about sleeping in the same room as me."

Draco looked around the room for a moment. Displeased, he took out his wand and transported the bed back to it's place in the room. He then flicked his wand once more, and the entire room looked like it had before she arrived.

"I don't like sleeping alone," he said simply.

Hermione was pretty sure he wasn't being completely honest, but she let it go.

"Fine, well, I'd like to visit my friends today-at least, the friends I have left."

"I'd rather we not," Draco cut in, barely allowing her to finish her sentence.

"You don't have to go. I'm sure they don't want to see you either." After all, they had never been friends. She was going to see her friends, that much was certain.

"They may not want to see me, but you're definitely not going there alone."

"What, do you keep me cooped up in this place without the ability to see my friends unless you're with me?" She asked, getting just as annoyed as Draco.

"When it's the real you, and you know the dynamics of your life, you can come and go as you please. Right now though? I don't trust you to not tell them about who you really are." He pretended to think for a moment before adding, "Oh, and I don't trust you around Weasley."

Hermione hated that he didn't trust her around her best friend. She didn't like the look he was giving her, as if he had won the argument. "I know me and Ron are still friends. I saw it in the memory you gave me."

Draco smirked. "When did you say you were from again?"

Hermione didn't see the harm in answering, but she knew he didn't need her to remind him. She kept silent, knowing he would tell her whatever it was.

"You don't have to answer me." Leaning over the table, smirking all the while, he softly said, "but I know for a fact that right now, in your time, you're dating him."

His back straightened and he continued, his face now stern, "I'm not going to have you make my fiance look like she's interested in anyone but me."

There was no use arguing with him. He was the one who knew where her friends would be. "Fine," she snapped.

Folding his hands, pleased that he had won the argument, he asked, "Who would you like to see?"

Hermione thought about it, and there were only a few important people that she would like to see. "Ron, Harry, and-" Hermione bit her lip. "can we see my parents?"

"That's fine. Ron and Harry's place first then?" He said, looking down at his phone. He typed a small text then looked back up. It was strange seeing pure-blooded Draco Malfoy using a muggle device with such ease.

"Ron and Harry live together?" she asked."And who did you text?"

"Your parents should have some warning we're stopping by, yes? And Ron moved in a few weeks ago after his tragic break up with Hannah Abbot." He didn't sound as if it were tragic at all. He gave her a small smile realizing that she wouldn't understand the meaning of the joke and explained, "You liked her well enough, but they fought all the time. It's better now that they are apart. So, now, it's Ron, Harry, and Harry's girlfriend."

Hermione stood to get dressed, "Will you be ready to leave in a half hour?" He nodded, and she left for the bedroom.

After she was dressed in average muggle clothes, she watched Draco set his cup into the sink and go to the bedroom to change. When he came out, he was dressed in a black knit sweater and grey corduroy pants. His hair was brushed out of his face with one side tucked behind his ear.

While they were leaving the complex Hermione saw Grant open his door and peak his head out. He looked as if he were waiting for her. She greeted him, but once Draco rounded the steps behind her Grant loudly shut his door.

Hermione waited until they were outside to ask Draco the question that had been in the back of her mind for a while now.

"So why are we using fake names?"

"Well, I don't like the landlord. Which is probably why he practically slammed the door when he saw you weren't alone. He's never really respected that you're a taken women. The first time he met us he asked you on a date, completely ignoring the fact that I was standing next to you. I became just a little angry and, well..." Draco slipped his hand into hers, giving her a sly smile. "You rectified the situation of course, via memory charm. This was one of the most affordable places for us, so we didn't want that to stop us from living here, but you didn't want him to know your real name, in case he was a true creep, which he is, so we picked new names for each other. And that's how we became Beverly Tooth, and Ferris Ferret."

"I understand Ferret, but Beverly Tooth?"

"Beaver tooth," he said, smiling. "You picked a memory that hurt my pride, so I only thought it was fair to do the same," he finished, with his unoccupied hand held over his heart.

Hermione smiled as well. It wasn't a good memory for her, but the fact that they could look back and laugh about the spell he cursed her with all those years ago was comforting.

They apparated to Grimmauld place, and the door opened immediately.

"Mister Malfoy," Kreacher greeted, his head bowing. "Sir is always welcome in the Noble House of Black." He glanced at Hermione before turning and limping back to the kitchen.

Harry and Ron were descending the stairs when Hermione voiced her thoughts. "Why is it that every time we're greeted by someone, they only ever seem to want to great you?" She was only being half serious, but Draco seemed upset by the statement.

Whatever he was about to say was cut off by Harry.

"Don't listen to Kreacher, Malfoy. You're not _always _welcome here," he joked, while giving Hermione a hug. When he let go, she gave him a light push on his shoulder, disproving the joke.

Ron gave an awkward greeting from behind Harry and led them to the drawing room. Hermione sat on the couch facing the window and Draco followed suit. He put his arm behind her and crossed his legs. He seemed relaxed, but she could sense the meaning behind his closeness.

"How's the Muggle world?" Harry asked.

"Uneventful-" Malfoy replied.

"It's great-" Hermione answered at the same time. Afraid of being out of character, she looked around nervously. Ron rolled his eyes. It seemed like a normal occurrence for them to have completely different answers, so she relaxed.

"Have you picked a wedding date yet?" Harry asked, trying to get a conversation started.

"Nope," Malfoy answered, popping the end of the word.

Hermione looked at him angrily. Sure, he had never been friendly with the boys, but he was actively trying to kill the conversation. Harry and Ron both looked at Hermione for a better answer. Draco leaned his face towards her uninterestedly, waiting for her to answer.

"We haven't chosen yet. We're still trying to figure out the best day for us. We need a date that will fit in with our work schedule, and one where everyone can show up." She may not be a good liar, but no one, excluding Draco, could tell she was improvising.

A few hours of talking she found out that Malfoy and her friends actually got along fairly well. Every once and a while someone would make a jab, but nothing serious. They had talked about everything from the war, to their various jobs after Hogwarts. A few times they referenced an inside joke, and Hermione would try to fake a laugh, but sometimes she just smiled and nodded. It wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as it could have been.

The conversation had stopped. Harry and Draco were playing a game of wizarding chess, and Ron was attempting to play a song on the piano. Every now and then Ron would botch an important part of the song, which would earn him a glare from Draco.

Hermione stood up and walked over to the piano bench to help Ron with the song. Starting a new song, Hermione asked how he was doing.

"I'm fine." They played a few more notes before he continued, "I miss her, you know? It's hard being with someone for a long time and then suddenly not having them. The hardest part is when she's not there when I wake up." After messing up on another note, he paused.

Getting back to the right rhythm, he continued, "It's better this way, but it's still hard to adjust."

She thought of her conversation with Malfoy, how he had said he didn't like sleeping alone. Maybe it was a similar idea: not having someone's presence after years of having it.

Ron changed the subject, "I guess you're excited to be Mrs. Malfoy soon."

"The title doesn't matter, but yes, it'll be nice to be married." She shivered at the thought of being married and bound to Draco. She didn't want to think about _why_ she shivered. All she knew was it wasn't as terrible of a thought that it once would have been.

She looked back at Draco, who was eyeing her suspiciously. Hermione gave a small smile, cast a nonverbal spell that made their voices practically undetectable, and continued, "So what do you think of us getting married?"

Ron stopped playing the piano for a moment and looked at Draco. "He can't hear us," she reassured.

He nodded in response, but didn't continue the song. "I've come to terms with it. He treats you like you should be treated, but I'm not like you." She looked at him, waiting for him to finish his thought. "I wish I could be as understanding and forgiving as you, but I'm not in love with the git," Ron laughed. "He's decent now, but you know," he shrugged, "the past."

"I understand. Actually, I wanted to ask you about a spell I read about recently. As you know, I'm no good at Divination. I was wondering what you know about the Procul Futurae Spell."

He looked at her oddly. "Surely you've read all there is to know, what could I possibly tell you?"

"I don't know everything," she snapped. It was annoying that she couldn't ask a question without people assuming she knew everything.

His eyes widened. After clearing his throat, he started listing things he knew. "Well, it's an outlawed spell in most countries. The spell caster drinks a potion in combination with a spell to see just one variation of many possible futures." He wasn't telling her anything she didn't know. "Some people had gone back to their reality and weren't able to adapt properly. Some turned to drinking, a few people were caught stalking the people they had met in the future, some tried, without success, to imitate the future they'd seen. After the founding of the potion to sustain the spell, things grew much more complicated, because people weren't coming back."

_Bingo, _Hermione thought. She knew there would have to be a good reason to outlaw the spell. A few people having a rough time adjusting wouldn't do it, but disappearances? The ministry would never allow it. Ron was still talking about the spell when her thoughts returned to the present.

"Of course, hardly anyone did the potion in the first place, but it was still unnerving when people didn't return. Plus they never figured out if the people still existed in the alternate future after the three days were over. You know? So the argument was that these people could be taking the potion without realizing that they wouldn't exist anymore."

Hermione nodded sullenly. Is this the reason why Draco didn't want her to come here alone? Was it because he was holding information from her and was afraid of her finding out? Or was he genuinely concerned with her friends not finding out? Looking back, it seemed silly to think that Ron or Harry would catch her in a lie, and even if they had, would they have even done anything about it?

She realized he had probably been hiding this information the whole time. She doubted that he didn't know that the spell could be made permanent. What did he think she was going to do? Did he think she would try to stay with him in lieu of the life she was already living? She had trusted him to tell her everything, but that's the nature of a Sytherin: sneaky, selfish, and deceitful. No matter his intentions, she hated feeling tricked.

Hermione stood, lifted the silencing spell, clenched her fists and snarled at Draco, "We're leaving."

He looked at the redhead confused, then back at Harry, who was avoiding eye contact. Draco knew he was avoiding becoming a victim of Hermione's wrath. He didn't blame him. Moving his last piece, he declared checkmate, and stood from his game.

Hermione and Draco entered a staring contest. Pride against pride. The tension could slice through air itself. She loathed how confident he looked. He should look _afraid_.

And then Pansy Bloody Parkinson walked into the room.

"DRACOO!" she squealed, "You've finally come to visit me!"

"Pansy," he frowned, dodging her hug.

Her face fell at his rudeness. Her pug nose scrunched up, making her look snobbier than what should be possible. Her head whipped around the room to survey the people's reaction to the embarrassing moment. So Pansy was Harry's girlfriend? How on earth did that even happen?

Ron and Harry's eyes now seemed to be permanently fixed on the floor. Hermione was thoroughly amused with Pansy being hurt and Draco's non-response. Sure, people shouldn't be happy with someone else's misery, but this was Pansy, and there was absolutely no way- in any future- she could ever see herself being friendly with her.

"I sent you an owl two months ago to come visit me, and once you finally show up, you don't even tell me that you're here? Where are your manners?!" Pansy was definitely hurt by Draco's reaction, and Hermione couldn't help but laugh at her distress.

"What are you laughing at, Mudblood?" she snapped.

Hermione was about to roll her eyes, but before she could, Pansy's already distinct nose began morphing into a pig snout. Her hands went to her face to cover the disfigurement, but couldn't quite cover it all. She looked around the room to see the spell caster, but no one had their wand out and no one spoke up. Although, if looks were anything to go by, Draco looked as if he were ready to murder.

Sneering at Pansy, Draco left the room, with Hermione following close behind. This wasn't the Draco she'd seen for the last day and a half. This was the Draco she was used to. Even if his anger wasn't directed towards her, she hadn't missed this Draco.

Draco grabbed her forearm, and a second later she felt the familiar pull of Apparition.

She opened her eyes and saw her childhood home. Everything about the house was the same, from the blue shutters to the little garden that grew next to the porch. There was a different car in the carport, but cars can only last so long she supposed. Hermione walked up to the door and rang the doorbell. All previous tension was now gone. All of her energy now focused on finally seeing her parents.

She was suddenly nervous. After the war she had restored her parents memories, and they hadn't had the time over summer to restore their relationship. In her life, her parents had practically shut the door on her once they found out what she had done. They lost a year of their lives without agreeing to it. Naturally, Hermione thought, it wasn't going to be fixed over two months.

She heard the doorknob move, and looked straight ahead to see her mother smiling brightly. Her mother's hair was the same colour as usual, but there were more lines creasing her face, showing her true age. Hermione didn't wait a second longer than needed to open the door before she gave her mom a bone crushing hug. She was glad that they had worked out their problems over the years. If anything, this was the reassurance she needed to know that everything would be okay in the future. She needed this hope.

Her father rounded the corner looking down at some paper. His hair was now completely grey, and like her mom, his face showed the passing of many years. As soon as Hermione saw him she practically ran to him to give him the same hug her mom got. This was by far the best she had felt in months.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the familiar blond giving her mom a hug and kiss on the cheek. Hermione couldn't help the strange butterflies in her stomach. She had told her parents about Draco's part in her childhood torment. She knew that they knew how terrible he could be, and she was sure she would have told them his part in the war. She also knew, that no matter who she was involved with, she would ensure that they would become part of the family. It seemed she had succeeded.

Most of the conversation was about work, upcoming events, and the wedding. Hermione let her mother give suggestions for their wedding and was pleased that she had her parents approval, even if it wasn't someone they would have expected her to marry.

Somewhere after dinner and through all the talking Hermione had fallen asleep on the couch with Draco. Hermione woke up to Draco nudging her and giving her a kiss on her forehead. "Hermione, wake up, it's time to go home."

"Hmm," Hermione responded, nuzzling closer to Draco.

"Isn't that sweet," Mrs. Granger said, looking at her husband.

Hermione opened her eyes and sat up slowly.

"You ready to go?"

She nodded, giving her parents parting hugs and making sure to tell them she loved them, then apparated home.

Hermione sat on the couch in their living room watching Draco through tired eyes. All the fight in her had left with the visit to her parents. Instead, she felt nothing but giddy happiness, and a little tired from her nap. But she needed to know his reasoning for not telling her about the spell. So instead of going back to sleep like she wanted, Hermione reminded Draco softly, "We need to talk."

* * *

><p><strong>Partial credit goes to my mom, who totally gave me the idea of a potion that could keep Hermione in the future.<strong>

**-Lights**


	7. Second Guessing

**"I shouldn't be much longer, but you shouldn't have to wait. Can't lose you, can't help it, I'm so sorry, I'm so selfish," Drake.**

Chapter 6: Second Guessing

Draco glanced in Hermione's general direction before walking into the bedroom. She stared at the wooden door with every passing minute growing more angry. _Did he just ignore me? _Hermione stood and marched to the bedroom. She threw the door open, the force making the door hit the wall and bounce back a fraction of the way. Her face was tinted red, and she could feel the anger pouring through her body.

Draco was leaning against the headboard reading a novel, his legs tucked under the comforter. He looked up annoyed and waited for her to speak.

He looked far to relaxed for someone who was the sole focus of her anger. Her hand went to her pocket to grab her wand, just as Draco pulled her wand from under his pillow and tossed it to her.

"You can try," Draco started, "but as much as you pride yourself to be the brightest witch of your age, I know your talents."

"You didn't seem so sure of yourself yesterday," she warned, her eyes narrow, and wand threatening.

"Yes, well, I thought you were eight years older than you actually are, and I was caught off guard," he reminded. "If you're going to barge in, practically tear the door off the hinges, wand-less, and looking like a murderous witch, I'm obviously going to be prepared."

Hermione contemplated throwing a hex his way to test how prepared he really was, but decided against it; It wouldn't achieve anything.

Draco frowned and patted the bed next to him. Hermione stood her ground, not wanting to compromise her position at the door.

"I'm not going to have a conversation with someone who looks like she wants to murder me and run. Sit down and we'll talk," he reasoned. Hermione hesitated, the uncertainty lessening her anger, before moving towards the bed.

Draco's eyes followed her movements, slowly wandering her body, before settling on her lips as she sat down. Hermione's chest felt flushed and her breath hitched. Despite her anger, she wondered how it would fell to kiss him. Would the kiss be soft and loving? Or would it be strong and heated? Tasting him was the only thing she wanted at the moment.

Maybe she was just reading to much into things, she reasoned. She licked her lips, and Draco's gaze darted to her eyes. Had his stare always been this piercing? He stared as if he wanted to devour her. Her self control was limited at the moment, so she sat statue-still, not wanting to make the first move.

This moment was the first time she had ever felt so unsure about herself. She was nervous and excited all at once. Chemistry, connection, lust, call it what you want, but it was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. Today had taken a strange turn. Although she had understood the relationship of Draco and future Hermione, she had experienced this feeling first hand. Knowing she was attracted to Draco was frightening, but there was something between them that, at that unseen moment, she knew she wouldn't be able to have with someone else.

Draco was the first to disconnect from the static between them.

"Would you like to tell me why you're angry?"

The question caught her off guard. The night was doing strange things to her mind. "You're hiding things from me."

Draco raised his eyebrow at the accusation.

"What makes you think that?" he asked, not denying nor confirming the statement.

"Ron told me about the potion. I know I can stay here if I want," she stated.

His expression turned grave. He had been annoyed with the private conversation she had had with Weasley, especially since she had ignored his order to stay away from him, but this? This was far worse than he had thought.

"I want to know why you were hiding that from me."

He cleared his throat and twisted the blanket under his fingers nervously. "I've spent years with you... well, not you, but you know..." He looked away, collecting his thoughts before continuing. "You are the reason I think I'm better person... Why I _am_ a better person. But you're not her."

He took a large breath and sighed. "I'll admit, I was worried you would want to stay here. You're the past version of the woman that I've fallen in love with, but you don't have the best memories. You don't know the little moments that made us who we are. It wouldn't be fair of you to stay here instead of her. I know they have never proven if people existed after the spell ended, or if they still exist when they take the sustenance potion, but I don't want to live without her... even if that means I wont exist.

"I love her. I even love you in a way, because you are the same person... but it's not the same. I couldn't live with myself if her existence was erased because of this. We've spent every day for years together. Nothing has changed our minds about each other, no matter how much we learned about one another. She's mine. I'm hers. Unconditionally."

Hermione knew it shouldn't, but the confirmation that he had hidden it from her on purpose hurt her. There was a deeper meaning to her hurt she didn't understand, but she stored the pain away to deal with later.

He looked at Hermione, hoping his answer had been substantial. He tried to read her reaction but was unable to. He knew it had probably hurt her feelings, but he decided being completely honest was probably the best thing he could do at this point.

For a few minutes Hermione twisted her wand in her hands trying to decide how to respond without her voice wavering, unable to gain control over her emotions she laid down on the bed next to him, facing away.

She counted her breaths for a while before mumbling, "If you know me so well, you would know I would never do something like that if you felt that way."

He hadn't wanted to tell her about the potion because the possibility of losing his Hermione was unbearable. Now that she knew about the potion, he knew that staying would cross her mind. She couldn't help her thoughts, and her mind would naturally look at every possible solution to a problem. He knew she wouldn't stay against his wishes, but he could tell she was becoming attracted to him. Even now, they had both been dangerously close to crossing a line they ought not to cross if they didn't want to complicate things further.

He kept his thoughts to himself knowing she was almost asleep, and terminated the lights. Despite his fear of her staying in this world, he still didn't want her to leave his side. Facing away from her, he closed his eyes, memories of his betrothed playing in the darkness behind his lids.

* * *

><p>Hermione awoke on her back with half of her body leaning against a warm body. Draco's arm was draped across her waist, along with a leg hooked around hers. His masculine smell filled her thoughts, drawing her in and refusing to let her leave. She realized she didn't want to leave. Sure, she would have to leave in the next twenty-four hours, but that didn't mean she had to deny herself the small pleasures of this world ... And this moment was indeed a pleasure. Hermione stayed still, not wanting to wake him.<p>

This was a strange development. No one could feel this way towards someone after only knowing them for two days could they? She thought about leaving, giving herself some space to think about her feelings, but her time was limited, and she didn't want to regret wasting this moment.

She used the opportunity to touch him. Her harmless curiosity allowing her to, carefully, reach down and trace the scar on his left arm. The Dark Mark was ugly, yes, but it didn't represent him. He had changed. He had switched sides at end of the war.

Hermione understood what that meant... the Draco in her time already knew the fault in his ways. Did this mean that there was a chance she could still have this life? Would Draco learn to love her when she arrived back in her time?

She knew these were dangerous thoughts to have. This is why people went crazy after the potion. She couldn't help her thoughts though. She wanted this life for herself. She wouldn't stay, but surely she could still have his love. The Draco from her time wouldn't be so different from the Draco this time, right? She couldn't have hope though. She'd been warned multiple times to refrain from these types of thoughts. Her mental war raged on while lazily tracing the scar.

Draco's eyes jumped open. He hadn't felt anything from his mark in almost a decade, and although it wasn't a painful feeling, it drove a deep fear that he hadn't experienced since the war.

As his heart rate calmed to its normal pace, he watched Hermione stare at his arm intently. He knew she was thinking hard about something, but didn't want to disturb her in case she would decide to leave. It was a pleasant surprise that she hadn't left the bed yet, and he wanted her near.

After collecting her thoughts, Hermione glanced at Draco's watchful eyes. She jerked her hand away and moved off the bed in one move.

_Moment over_, Draco thought, disappointed.

Awkwardly standing a next to the bed, unable to help the blush tinting her cheeks, Hermione asked the day's agenda.

"It's a surprise," he mumbled, rising from the bed. He gave Hermione a look she couldn't read before striding to the bathroom, and adding through the door, "Dress warm!"

The cold wind was almost painful against Hermione's face. She kept her fingers tucked into her jacket pockets keeping body warmth close. There was a great amount of people in Hogsmead forcing them to hold hands to keep close. Once they left the main stretch of shops, the crowd thinned. They walked along the side road, passing a few remaining businesses, and arrived in the residential portion of the town. Once more, she found herself standing in front of the largest home on the street.

"You know where we are right?" Draco asked.

"This is where you proposed," she replied, factually.

Draco looked at her from the corner of his eye while facing the house. "What do you think?" he asked, nodding towards the house.

Hermione turned to examine the house properly. Her first impression had been that it was nearly too grand for the area. However, somehow the composition of the surrounding landscape blended the house soundly with the rest of the homes.

The house was made of a light colour stone with double doors in the front, and a porch surrounding the lower front half of the house. There were matching turrets on the sides of house, displaying its age to the world.

She knew this location was in a safe, close-knit community in the wizarding world. Of course, she loved it. She wondered why he had asked her, but quickly made the connection.

"This is the house you bought instead of a ring?" she asked, her face lighting up while she started up the path to the door.

Draco followed, pleased with her response. Now he wouldn't have to worry about showing the house to his Hermione. If he had had doubts before, they were gone now. Draco unlocked the door, and followed her around the house, but otherwise let her explore the rooms without interference.

Hermione noticed that it was already furnished with similar furniture to their flat in the muggle world. There was an updated kitchen, a living room, a dinning room, a private study, six bedrooms, and five bathrooms in total. The study had a wall of empty shelves that Draco informed would be filled with whatever books she wanted.

This was a home she could dream about. Hermione ended the tour in the living room. Draco sat at the piano bench playing an uplifting song she was unfamiliar with, while she sat on the couch. Hermione looked around the room and noticed a subtle difference in decoration from their flat.

"Malfoy, at the flat there are no pictures, but here you have framed pictures in almost every room... Uh- and well, I was just wondering why that is?" she asked once the song had ended.

Without looking at her, he patted the empty seat next to him on the bench. Hermione shuffled to the seat, and he began playing the piano once more. This time, Hermione recognized the song. Noticing he intended for her to play along with him, she began to play and he answered, "I grew up in a home without pictures. There were no memories of my life lying around. Instead, there were only the forgotten memories of portraits on the wall. You're pictures make me uncomfortable, but I know you would like to see them daily, so I took them from the box under the bed and framed them. You're parents house is full of pictures, you grew up around them, and so they make you feel better," he shrugged. "It's just a little out of my comfort zone, but nothing I can't handle I suppose."

He was right. The pictures did make her feel as if she were at home, even if she didn't recognize some of the people within the frames.

The rest of the day was spent arguing politics, discussing books, and reliving their days spent at Hogwarts. If there hadn't been blood-prejudice in the world, and he hadn't been such a prat in school, Hermione decided that they probably would have gotten along fairly well. They had accomplished nothing, but Hermione was dreading the day's end.

Draco checked the time on his phone. "It's nearly nine, and we're supposed to be at dinner. Do you want to go?"

One of the house elves from the manor had brought lunch for them, so it was possible to stay here a while longer, but she decided against it. This was, after all, her first and possibly last chance to go on a date with him.

"Let's stick to the schedule."

* * *

><p>They apparated to an attractive restaurant where the dimly lit tables were all completely occupied. There were white tablecloths covering the tables, the staff were dressed in suits, and the customers were all in formal attire. Hermione instantly felt out of place. They were certainly not dressed for this type of restaurant. Despite her reluctance to stay, the hostess didn't seem to mind. Upon seeing the couple, the hostess immediately greeted them and led them up a staircase to a small room on the second staircase.<p>

The room was small and had painted red walls with candles lighting the room within four small chandeliers and curtains covering the windows. There was an arrangement of freshly cut white roses on a small table next to the door. Romantic music was playing in the background, and there was a lone waiter by the table ready to serve. Hermione was in awe.

After Draco ordered their food, and two glasses of wine, Hermione went to ask how he booked the room on such short notice, but was stopped by the sight in front of her. Hermione couldn't find her voice, and her curiosity was driven to the back of her mind by the striking man sitting in front of her. Draco's already angular features were enhanced by the flame's shadows, his storm-grey eyes intense, the look driving her mind to forbidden places. Her heart felt as if it had stopped and come back twofold. His hands were resting on the table in front of him, with one finger tracing the bottom of the water glass. Her entire body was tingling, and if his stare was portraying his thoughts, Hermione knew where his thoughts were wandering. She wondered how she could go back to a world without the angst and desire she was feeling.

The waiter's soft footsteps were enough to break the trance Hermione had been caught in. He returned with the wine and filled their glasses before departing once more.

Draco looked calm and composed, as if the moment had never happened. Leaning back in his seat, and taking a sip of wine he looked away. He wondered if she could tell the effect she had on him. She was so beautiful in every setting.

Fighting her body for control, and trying to ignore her previous feelings, she asked abruptly, **"**If you could change anything about the past what would it be?"

"If I could change anything about the past?" he asked, looking at her quizically- The question came out much louder than the setting deserved. Draco felt like she was expecting a certain answer, but he shrugged and he answered honestly, "I wouldn't change anything."

Hermione didn't understand. They may be young, but they had lived through a war, surely there was something he would change.

"What about the war?" Hermione asked.

Draco made a face, clearly displeased with the direction of the conversation. "If I had sided differently, As much as my mother would have despised working with the Order, she would have joined if I had. And what then? There would have been no one to save Potter in the end. Unless you think he would have somehow escaped without her help, it would have changed the outcome for the worse, I'm sure."

Hermione could understand his reasoning, but wouldn't accept his original answer.

"Would about the torment you put me through during school?" she prompted.

"I wouldn't change that either. It's true, that we hated each other, but we have a history together. That history, although bad, made us closer in some explainable way. We have both hated and loved each other, and I think that has made us stronger. We've experienced each other at our utmost worst, and that has paved the path to a love that most people couldn't even imagine." His looked away thoughtfully for a moment, trying to find a simpler explanation. "We knew hate well, but we know love better. And I would loath to give that up."

Hermione understood. She was starting to really regret this experiment. Knowing she would never have this kind of love was a crushing weight on her heart. This was her last night in the world, the days had felt so short.

Much to her surprise, she didn't want to leave.

* * *

><p><strong>AN So this chapter was really hard to right. I read it like a hundred times, and I'm still not happy with it. But I'm posted it anyways, because I honestly don't know how to improve it. I want to get better at writing romantic scenes, and this just kept falling flat. And the romance wasn't spur of the moment. I intended for those little scenes to happen. Advice? **

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it,**

**Lights**


	8. The Invitation

**"So tell me you love me. Only for tonight. Only for one night," The Weeknd.**

Chapter 7: The invitation

Hermione woke up once more in Draco's arms. She shifted her body to face him, waking him in the process. Draco propped his arm up to meet her gaze better, and Hermione mirrored the action. Their eyes wandered each others face, attempting to read the others feelings on what was to take place. It was bittersweet for Draco, and only bitter for Hermione.

Hermione glanced at his lips, once more wondering what it would feel like to taste them. This was her last chance. This would be the last chance to see it feels like to kiss Draco Malfoy. Maintaining eye contact, Hermione leaned in.

Noticing her intentions, Draco leaned back and shook his head. It wouldn't be fair of him to kiss her. It might make her want to stay, or worse, it could make her want to continue this behavior in her time. He couldn't risk her losing her mind over him. She had to live in her time, and let things fall into place naturally.

"It's not right," he whispered.

It hurt. She hadn't been entirely sure what he was going to do. It was a silly idea in the first place, really. She'd be leaving within the hour anyways. So, at least the rejection would be short lived.

Hermione flopped backwards on the bed and stared at the ceiling, much like her first day here.

"Hermione?" Her eyes shifted to the voice. He looked concerned, but seemed to want to talk about something other than their second almost-kiss. She waited patiently for him to continue.

"It's almost time, and I want you to promise me something."

Hermione sat up, and Draco followed suit. She thought about refusing, after all, he had just rejected her. Instead, she nodded. "Anything."

"Can you promise me that you won't go after me when you're back in your tiem?"

Anything but that. What was so wrong about trying to get someone to fall in love with you?

"You can't attempt this future Hermione- You'll drive yourself crazy," he worried. Had she said that out loud? "This future is impossible now. You-"

"It's not fair!" she shouted, slamming her hands on the comforter. "I didn't want to do this in the first place! I've never felt anything like this before. I've only begun to scratch the surface of... of whatever this is!" she said moving her hand between them.

Hermione took a moment to regain her composure, but was unable. Thoughts of leaving and never seeing him again were playing in her mind. She could feel the loneliness setting in, and he was still in front of her. She couldn't stop her heart feeling heavy, knowing she couldn't have him. It was to much. The second the first tears started to drop, Draco moved to comfort her. It took all of ten minutes for her to calm down enough to hold a conversation.

"I won't attempt to talk to Draco on two conditions," Hermione said, solemnly while wiping the remaining dampness off her cheeks and sitting up from his lap.

"Okay," he said, hesitantly.

Hermione left the room and came back with a piece of paper. She scribbled on the paper, and gave it to Draco. While waiting for his response she laid on the bed and propped herself on her hand. He looked apprehensive, but nodded and wrote on it as well. He handed it to her and while she studied his answers, he asked, "What's your second term?"

Hermione wasn't sure if she should ask this of him, but if he was going to deny her attempts to gain a life like this than she was had try one last time. "Kiss me," she whispered, hopeful.

To her surprise, Draco moved swiftly. He pushed her flat on the bed, straddling her. With one hand holding her hands above her head he pushed his lips against hers while moving his unoccupied hand to hold her hip underneath her shirt in an iron grip. Hermione wasted no time in savoring the moment. Drowning in the sensation when he bit her lip, swimming in frenzied lust when his hands kept her from her own moments. His mouth drifted from hers and moved down her neck, sucking lightly on the tender skin.

And before it ended, she landed softly back on the stone floor of Hogwarts.

She hadn't even had the chance to say goodbye.

Hermione sat wide-eyed with her hands covering her mouth for what felt like an eternity before an unsuspecting Ron landed in front of her, grinning from ear to ear.

"That was brilliant! And to think that could have happened!"

"You had a good time, I assume?" she asked softly.

"It was like a dream world. I had just retired, and my wife and I were touring with the Chudley Cannons! And they were playing some of the best Quidditch I have ever seen! I think we had a chance at the Quidditch World Cup," he finished, wistfully. She was only half listening to what Ron was saying, caught in her own memories.

Hermione cut off his daydream and snapped, "Are you not the least bit upset that you can't have that future?"

He was shocked at her outburst. Something bad must have happened, he thought, but he decided to answer her first question. "No, I can always retire and tour with the Cannons... What happened Hermione?"

"I don't really want to talk about it right now. Maybe later?" she asked, hoping to get some alone time.

He shrugged off her tone and didn't push any further. Hermione assumed he noticed she was bad company at the moment. He said a quick goodbye and moved to give her a kiss, but she dodged it unapologetically.

Rolling his eyes he nodded, "I guess we'll talk about it later."

After he left, and Hermione grew cold and uncomfortable from sitting on the floor, she left for the library. She was greeted with the smell of old books and the sound of silence. It was mundane enough for her mood at the moment. She sat close to the bookshelves, spreading her books over the table, and pulling out a quill and parchment to inscribe two incantations: _Ouvrir Grotte_ and _Sous._

She needed to copy down Draco's answer from memory. It was important that she remembered the information. Why was it important though? Why had that been one of her conditions? The question seemed so rational at the time, but now she was second guessing her reasoning for asking. Maybe it really was just her curiosity- or maybe she thought one day she would be able to make use of them. Not trying to dwell to much on why she had asked him, she charmed the paper blank, folded it neatly, and secured it in her pocket.

She turned to studying for her Charms exam that she'd been worrying over before she had left for the weekend. After a few hours of studying, a tall girl with black hair towered over her table. She looked athletic; her long legs were lean, much like the rest of her. She was beautiful with pale skin and wide blue eyes.

"I've been looking for you all weekend. Uh... I mean- never mind that. I'm Eileen, and me and a couple other people are looking for new members for our study group for Advanced Potions and we were wondering ifyouwouldliketobeincluded?" she rushed.

Hermione vaguely recognized her as a sixth year Ravenclaw. They weren't even in the same section of potions, which made Hermione doubt that she'd be learning anything new. "That's not a study group," she said bluntly. "You just want me to tutor you."

Ignoring Hermione's tone, the sporty Ravenclaw replied just as excited as before, "Actually, I'm more advanced than most in my class, and the rest of the study group is in your year, so you wouldn't have to worry about us dragging you down. The meetings are always fun. Most of the time is spent socializing, but everyone always learns something when they leave. Please? Just come to one, and if you don't like it you can leave."

There was nothing that could possibly make Hermione want to go to this. She wanted to go back to her dormitory, wallow in self pity, recover, and move on. A study group just was not on her agenda. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going," she finalized.

Eileen nodded her head, gave a small smile, and left. Hermione packed her books into her rucksack . She didn't want people to talk to. She needed to start her recovery process, so she left for the girls dormitory. No one was in her room when she got back. She curled shamelessly into a ball on top of her wool blanket. Staring emptily at the night stand next to her she allowed her tears to pass unrestrained, dampening the pillow. She didn't know how much time had passed, but Hermione was almost to the point where she was going to get under the blankets when Lavender entered the room complaining about the cold.

Hermione didn't even register that Lavender was speaking to her until she felt a wave of warmth. She moved her eyes, but remained in the same position. Lavender seemed to understand she didn't want to talk, but also couldn't refrain from commenting. "Just because someone broke your heart doesn't mean that you shouldn't take care of yourself," she chastised, with a strange mixture of animosity and sympathy. "You should cast warming charms, or you're going to get sick."

Hermione blinked twice before closing her eyes, too tired to comment, but too miserable to go to sleep.

* * *

><p>Hermione woke up feeling strangely empty. She sat up in bed trying to remember yesterday when a flood of memories consumed her thoughts. All the memories felt so distant, like a dream, only it wasn't a dream. The bed felt colder without Draco. It wasn't unbearable, just uncomfortable and a lot of loneliness.<p>

She checked the time. It was too early for breakfast, but she didn't want to stay in bed all morning. So she walked down to the Gryffindor common room. She sat down in the corner of the room and began reading over her Potions book. The book reminded her about the Ravenclaw's offer. She was starting to feel bad about the way she had talked to Eileen. It hadn't been the girl's fault she was in a poor mood, but the offer really wasn't appealing.

The common room had students leaving in small clusters to go to breakfast. Hermione's stomach growled and she realized she had missed all her meals yesterday, but instead of leaving on her own, she waited for her friends before joining the masses to the great hall.

Ron and Harry came down the stairs a few minutes later, looking groggy, and not at all ready for morning classes. Ron's found her sitting in the corner, after telling Harry he would be down soon, he walked alone towards Hermione, sat down at the table, and leaned forward to place his hands over Hermione's.

"You have to tell me what happened," he spoke, sincerely. "I need to make sure you're okay."

"I'm not." She shook her head, willing herself not to let her emotions take over. "When I got to the future I was engaged to Malfoy," she sighed.

Ron's eyes widened and his mouth dropped. "You can't be serious! How did you manage being stuck with that git for three days?" he laughed. It was clear Ron was joking, but Hermione wasn't in the mood.

"He was actually decent, wonderful even." Hermione spent the next ten minutes updating Ron on her three day stay. Somewhere in the conversation he had drawn his hand away from hers, knowing that things had obviously changed since her time there. "And then we kissed," she finished.

She knew that technically he could say she had cheated, but the goal of the spell was to immerse oneself in the future for better insight, so she hoped he wouldn't be to harsh on her. However, instead of commenting on the kiss, he asked, "So why are you so upset?"

She had just spilled her heart to him and he couldn't see why she was upset? Merlin, she was on her way to falling- no she wouldn't go there. She was on her way to having feelings for Malfoy, and she was forced back into this life, where she can't even have a conversation with Draco without him calling her a Mudblood. Did he really not understand why she was upset?

"I'm upset, Ron, because all I want to do, even right now, is march to the dungeons and convince Draco that we would be a perfect match and could have a wonderful life together-"

"You can't be serious Hermione!" Ron interrupted, "The Malfoy now is no the same Malfoy you met. They're different people."

She glared at Ron. "If you had let me finish, as much as I want to do that, I made a promise that I wouldn't. So don't worry. I may be unhappy, but I'll refrain from speaking to him."

"So, uh- what happens with us?" he asked, his eyebrows drawn together, concerned. Hermione was surprised he hadn't been upset with her, he was just concerned about their relationship.

Hermione felt a tug on her heart. He was such a good friend, and such an understanding person. He didn't deserve only half her heart. She jumped out of her seat and hugged him. Mumbling her apology into his shirt. "I can't do this. I'm sorry." She straightened after a moment to see his response, his brittle smile told her that he didn't want it to be this way but that he understood.

Jumping topics, Ron stood up and declared, "I'm hungry. What about you?" She assumed he asked in order to get away from the now-awkward moment. Although, he could very well just be hungry. Hermione nodded, and they walked together in silence to the dinning hall where Ron sat across from her.

She knew that she should have sat on the other side of the table with Ron, but just because she couldn't talk to Draco didn't mean she couldn't check up on him, right? Besides, this was her normal seat, so she wasn't going out of her way.

Facing the Slytherin table, her eyes scanned for the one person that she shouldn't be looking for. When she found him her heart jumped. His cool grey eyes were already watching her. He wasn't looking at her with animosity like he had in previous years. There was no sneer or look of disgust she would have expected. He looked so much younger now. She realized that she had never paid much attention to the boy that was in front of her. There was no stubble, his hair was cut short, and he looked thinner, less toned, than she remembered. He might look different than her Draco, but he was still beautiful.

He raised his eyebrow at her and looked away. Hermione followed his eyes to the seat next to him, where he said something unreadable to the dark skinned boy on his left. Blaise looked up quickly, and smirking at Hermione, he gave her a wink. What the-? _Did he just wink at me? _Hermione was slightly disturbed to say the least.

She quickly looked at the food in front of her that she had yet to touch. With her heart racing and hands shaking, she grabbed a muffin from the center of the table. Her mind was buzzing while she practically inhaled her breakfast. No one had said a word to her all breakfast, so she scrambled from the table without a goodbye. Leaving in a hurry, she spotted Eileen turning the corner.

"Eileen!" she yelled, earning her bemused looks from various students in the hall while she sprinted to follow the dark-haired girl. Rounding the corner, Hermione ran into a warm body, that she was sure was made of steel, and fell on her bum, hard.

She looked up to see the Ravenclaw looking down at her as if she were crazy. Maybe she was crazy. Merlin, she felt crazy. She was almost one hundred percent sure her eyes were playing tricks on her. Her imagination had run wild at breakfast- Draco would never stare at her, and Blaise would never smirk at her- let alone wink. If one look at Draco could cause her mind to formulate that pathetic of a hallucination, she needed to find a hobby- and fast.

Staring up at Eileen from her spot on the floor, her breathing labored from her short sprint, she asked, "Can I still join the study group?" At this, Eileen smiled broadly and helped Hermione off of the floor. "Tuesdays and Thursdays, seven PM, Room of Requirement."

_This is what I need. New friends, studying, a task- something to keep my mind busy._

Before walking away Eilleen remembered to ask, "You know how to get in right?"

Hermione laughed, knowing the girl was only a third year when people would meet in the Room of Requirement for Dumbledore's Army.

"Yes. I've been there once or twice."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Oh, how I'll miss the Draco that's in love with her. Anyways, w**hat do you guys think she asked Draco? Or rather, what are the spells for?****

****And, I've not been good about answering reviews. This is only because I _really_ don't want to PM people; I'd like everyone to see my responses. So I'll be answering (some of the) reviews here. ****

****Billy Green: Well, after this chapter you know now that she's not stuck. And that's _exactly_ what I thought when my mom was like "you should invent a spell to keep her there." All I could think of was how sad that would be for Draco. And yes, Pansy was Harry's girl friend. And unfortunately, she's made a promise that she will not try to be friends with Draco. So, the answer is no-ish to her trying to get to know the younger Draco. ****

****ASJS: This chapter squashed those thoughts, I think. I don't think she'll be able to do that, not only because of the promise, but because she knows that the older Draco had a soft spot for her... which is something developed over time. If Hermione actively tried to be friends with Draco it would probably ruin her chances with him. I don't see Draco as someone who would accept friendship easily. Which is why the older Draco ignored older Hermione when she invited him to the formal event. ****

****Thank you for all words of encouragement, and ********to all my guest reviewers. Especially the one who spoke about how if they kissed it would make things difficult for Hermione. That's definitely true, and originally I was going to let her first kiss (with him) to be with the younger Draco, but I thought, realistically, if Hermione was going to make a promise not to go after the younger one, she wouldn't leave without one kiss. ****

****I hope all those reviews make sense. It's kinda hard to talk about 2 different people in 2 different time periods. ****

****If anyone is interested in knowing: ********Originally, I wasn't going to have Draco find out about Hermione not really being Hermione, and she was just going to start to slowly fall for things about him because of certain situations she would be put into. However, when I started writing, all the little blurbs I had previously written went out the window and right into the dumpster. My fingertips would just not allow Draco to be so non-observant. It's so strange how much my ideas have changed since Day 1. And at the end Draco was supposed to want her to go back and try to fall in love with young Draco. Until the exact moment when I was writing the promise scene, in my notes I had Draco saying, ****"Promise me you'll try to get along with me. I can't imagine a better future for myself than the one I have right now. And even if these three days didn't convince you that you could love me. You're the best friend I've ever had, and I'd settle for nothing less." **However, some people have previously gone crazy because they've tried to go back and change things in their present to change the future in their favor, and I don't think Draco would risk her going crazy.**

****THIS IS SO LONG AND I AM SORRY.****


	9. The News

In the middle of the night I go walking in my sleep, through the desert of truth to the river so deep. We all end in the ocean. We all start in the streams. We're all carried along, by the river of dreams, in the middle of the night," Billy Joel.

Chapter 8: The News

Breakfast time at Hogwarts again.

She opted to eat all remaining meals in the kitchens yesterday in order to avoid her problem, Draco, and was grateful she hadn't had any classes with with him. Today was a different story. To her chagrin, she had two classes with Malfoy- Potions and Transfiguration. She'd have to face him sooner or later. Face him meaning sitting in the same room without acknowledging each other.

Seeing him shouldn't be this difficult, but it was.

Hermione sat down, sparing a glance at the Slytherin table. Nothing was amiss, no winks or smiles, and no one was watching her. At least her mind wasn't playing tricks on her today.

She turned to Harry and asked him about his weekend. She had most of her classes with Harry yesterday, but after breakfast she had kept to herself, consumed with thoughts of her strange encounter.

"It was... different without you two here," Harry said, glancing at Ginny who was arguing with her brother about something or another. Hermione nodded knowingly. Anytime the couple was together Ron insisted that they should join them, but Hermione knew the truth: Harry wanted to spend more alone with Ginny.

Hermione watched him fix the strap on his bag and glance around the hall while they were leaving. Keeping his voice low, he confessed, "Something else happened over the weekend." His green eyes shifting between nearby people, making sure they weren't listening. "The Prophet confirmed that dragons were stolen over the weekend. The article didn't say much, but I think there's something going on, something dark."

Hermione's eyes widened for a moment. Dragons are incredibly dangerous. Before the ministry mandated that all the dragons were captured, they used to leave entire cities engulfed in 's why they were only handled by professionals. That's why they were XXXXX classified creatures. But how could someone_steal_ a _dragon?_ They're huge!

"Ron and I talked about it yesterday. If this is the work of dark wizards, we're going to take Kinglsey up on his offer and leave school to become Aurors."

She knew she couldn't talk them out of it. She knew this was something they wanted to do, so they would do it regardless of what anyone else said. "Only if necessary, right?"

"We're not leaving unless that's the case," he confirmed, solemnly.

"Do you want me to help?"

Harry shook his head. He didn't want her to think that she should to leave her studies again. "There aren't nearly as many of them as us anymore, and you can help us by staying here."

She knew he wouldn't want her to come with them, but she had to offer. That's what friends did.

She pushed the thoughts from her head. Thinking of Harry and Ron chasing criminals that were clever enough to steal dragons was something she didn't want to think about until she had to.

They were only two other people in the class when they entered. As the years went on, Hermione noticed that students no longer showed up to class early, most opting to come in seconds before the professor. The classes were different this year than ever before at Hogwarts. Students from all houses were in classes together, and there was about half a class extra of people, since so many were unable to continue their education during the war. This year there were the seven years, like Ginny, and the senior seventh years, like Hermione.

She led Harry to the front of the room where they took their seats and waited for the lecture. Sheheard Draco when he came in the room, and willing herself not to turn around, she listened intently to his conversation. He was talking about owling his family, and telling others to do the same. It didn't sound important, but his tone said otherwise. He sounded worried. Similar to when he had thought that she would want to stay with him in the future. It concerned her, but this wasn't her business, and worrying did nothing. She couldn't help him.

Hermione felt as if she were being watched all class, but when class ended, and she turned around, there was no one watching her. It seemed her momentary insanity was coming back. _It's not momentary if it keeps happening, _Hermione warned herself.

Free hour passed without a hitch, but when she sat in her normal seat in Potions, she had a clear view of the Slytherin that she, again, shouldn't be looking at. After being handed their assignments, Hermione scoffed. This was the highest level potions the school offered, and they were brewing a third year potion. She was about to raise her hand to question the assignment, but Draco beat her to it.

"Antidote to Uncommon poisons?" he snorted. "I could do this in my sleep." Tossing the paper onto the table, he rolled his eyes. "What makes you think this is worth my time?" Hermione was sure everyone in the class agreed, but Draco's attitude was shocking. All the students watched wide-eyed for the professor's reaction.

"Mister Malfoy, I've chosen this assignment, because it has been brought to the attention of the ministry that there are criminals that are attacking witches and wizards, and they're not using... Well, let's just say they are no longer using their usual means to inflict harm." His shoulders slumped, and he hobbled to his desk. "We are all to do our parts in restoring order, and I need as many capable students as I can right now to finish this as quickly as possible. I am sure you all remember quite well that the third years can not finish this timely, and more importantly, correctly. So," he concluded, "get to work." After slowly descending into his chair, he began working on his own project.

Hermione looked at Harry and Ron, knowing that the assignment would further increase their desire to leave school. When the class resumed its normal conversation level, Ron asked in a low voice, "Do you think it's the same people that stole the dragons?"

Harry and Hermione remained silent, frowns etched into their faces. There was no doubt it was the same people, and Hermione felt ill. She knew they'd be leaving soon, off to fight people that steal dragons- people that have the ministry asking schools for help. She just hoped they would say goodbye before they left.

Hermione finished her potion first and gave it to Ron, knowing he wouldn't be able to finish his as fast as Harry, and that they would be itching to leave as soon as they could. She began finishing Ron's incomplete potion when Harry and Ron turned in their potions and left.

She was almost done with the potion when Blaise invited himself into to Harry's previous seat. Hermione looked for Draco, wondering if he was going to sit with her as well, but the blonde was no where to be found. A slight pang in her chest hit her. _She really needed to stop thinking of him._

"He's not here."

Hermione's head turned so fast that her hair whipped her face. "What?" she asked, choking on the last part of the word.

"Draco, he left a while ago," he said lazily, picking an imaginary speck of lint from his pant leg. "I'm not here to bother you, don't worry."

She was concerned he knew who she had been looking for. She must not be being as inconspicuous as she thought she was. However, she was thankful he misinterpreted _why_ she was looking for him. She kept silent and returned to working. One more ingredient, three more stirs, and she would be done and out.

"So you survived the war..." he said, trying to break the ice. "Congratulations."

It was a bad joke that had been going around, and Hermione didn't spare a chuckle. She had lost so many in the war that the joke fell flat. She gave him a blank look and stirred one last time.

He quickly tried to amend. "It was only a joke."

Putting the cauldrons contents into a vial, she stood. Blaise jumped in front of her to block her from leaving and added, "It's just a sour joke running in our house right now. I'm sorry if I offended you."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I know it's a joke," she said, sidestepping him, only to be blocked once more.

She stared at him this time. He was at least six feet tall, thin, with impeccable posture. His oval face had high cheekbones, a straight nose, and short hair.

But why was he even bothering to talk to her? His light-brown almond shaped eyes contained no malice, which was new for someone like him- a pure blood Slytherin. He flashed her a cocky grin, revealing perfectly straight, white, teeth. Blaise watched her evaluating him, and if her body language was anything to go off of, he knew she thought he was good looking.

His smile cut her thoughts short. She realized had been looking at him much longer than would be considered normal. Clearing her throat, she asked what he wanted.

"I'm just trying to make amends to the past, Granger," he purred.

The tone of his words sent a slight blush into her cheeks. She mumbled an it's fine, and stepped around him. Blaise put his potion down and left without another word.

Walking up to the old man hunched over his work, she started, "Professor Slughorn?"

Moving his hand to put in the last ingredient while he half acknowledged her, "Yes Miss Granger?"

If Harry and Ron were going to help fight criminals on the outside, she was going to help as much as she could from Hogwarts.

"Sir, I was wondering if there was anything else I can do to help aid. There's a group of us working to better ourselves at potions, and I'm sure if you need us to help in some way, we're willing."

"Yes!" he said, leaping from the chair in a way Hermione had never seen a man his age do before. "Professor Sprout has been using her classes to acquire bursting mushrooms in the Forbidden Forest all day!" Sending Hermione away with instructions and a note to collect ingredients from Professor Sprout, Hermione left for the greenhouse.

Hermione paced outside the Room of Requirement, carrying what felt like ten pounds of ingredients on her back. The door appeared, and Hermione entered. She tossed her bag on the first of ten stations the room had formed. She had asked for a potions lab, and was not disappointed. On each table sat two cauldrons, two knives, a mallet, and four stirrers, two long and two short. There was a bookshelf on the left side of the room filled with varying sized vials that sparkled beautifully in the brightly lit room.

Hermione didn't know how many people were in the study group, but she hoped there would be enough tables. Hermione promised at least one hundred completed vials by the next potions class. It wasn't a large amount for him to request, after all, fire protection potions only lasted an upwards of ten minutes.

In normal circumstances, the potion was useful for saving people from small house fires and such, but these weren't normal circumstances. Slughorn told her there were five dragons stolen. Meaning, five dragons were on the loose and a current, imminent, threat. Whatever the study group could accomplish would be helpful.

Hermione began the first potion, there was still five minutes before they had agreed to meet. When the potion turned blue, Hermione saw the door stepped though the passage smiling, but after looking around the room, her face fell.

Hermione gave an awkward smile, and a nervous laugh. That was not the reaction she was hoping for. Was the room not large enough? Was something missing?

"What's-" Hermione started, but was cut off by Draco and Blaise's laughter while entering the room. When they saw the room there was a moment of silence before their faces fell as well. Clearly, no one was expecting the room she had asked for. Draco looked at the Ravenclaw confused, and followed her gaze to Hermione.

Rolling his eyes at the guest, he jeered, "Leave it to Granger to take over the first day."

The comment genuinely hurt her. Not only because of who he was, but she thought this was what the room should look like. This was a Potions study group for Merlin sake! _What were they expecting?_ Hermione was about to defend herself, but remembered that she probably shouldn't talk to Draco unless necessary, so she let his insult pass.

Draco and Eileen walked to the back of the room without another comment. They sat together in the furthest spot from Hermione, closer, she thought, than should be possible in lab chairs. Hermione instantly felt jealous. _Were they going to be this way the entire time?_

Blaise sat down at her table and asked what she was working on, reminding Hermione that she was going to ask them for help. Speaking to everyone, she said loudly, "Actually, I was wondering if the group could work on the Ice Powder potion? As you all should know, there were five dragons stolen. So, the Aurors need as much of it as possible, for a worst case scenario."

Eileen was leaning on Draco, her face nuzzled into his neck. Hermione's heart fell. If this is what she would have to deal with twice a week, she didn't want to be a part of it. However, right now, she needed their help.

Without moving from Draco to talk, the Raveclaw replied, "Hermione, we meet here for _Advanced _potions, and more importantly to have _fun_."

Draco scoffed, "She doesn't know how to have fun."

Eileen looked up at him, appalled at the comment, and hit his arm. Draco looked down at the girl coolly and stood up, the change in position making Eileen lose her balance and fall from the stool.

Red faced and embarrassed, she pushed herself from the floor, and snatched her book from the counter. Her footfalls echoed loudly in the empty room as she left.

Draco snorted at the girl's departure. Glaring at Hermione, he snapped, "This isn't your group! We don't owe you-"

"It's for the Ministry," she quickly defended.

"I don't care who it's for," he shot. "You can't just commandeer this group to do whatever you want-"

"They need help!" Hermione yelled, flailing her arms. "Dragons were _stol_-"

"I don't care!" he seethed, "I don't give a _fuck_ if they need help! We're not here for you to boss around!"

Hermione couldn't believe this. All she wanted was to help people who needed it, and he was treating her like the selfish one. _Was he always such a prat?_

Hermione thought back to what future Draco had said about his years after Hogwarts. Maybe the years he had been ostracized from his friends had changed him significantly. Maybe it wasn't possible for Draco to be decent now. This wasn't her Draco. No, this was Malfoy- the real Malfoy.

She knew she was tearing up, not only because of how he was acting, but because she just wasn't ready to face the truth- this Draco was nothing like the one she knew.

"Draco," Blaise said calmly, "Why don't you catch up with Eileen. She seemed pretty upset."

Draco glared at Blaise, but snatched his bag, and left without another word. The room felt so empty. All she wanted was to help the ministry, to help her friends. They would be out fighting soon, and she felt so useless.

Hermione leaned on the table and covered her face with her hands. Why did that bloody Ravenclaw ask her to join. Surely she wasn't so uninformed to not know that Malfoy hates her. She had even said that the other members had wanted her there! What a load of bullocks!

"You okay?" Blaise asked, carefully. "I would say that he normally doesn't act like that, but you Gryffindors always seem to bring out the worst in him."

She felt like breaking down, their first conversation since she came back, and he already made her feel as if she were scum. Gaining control over her voice, she managed, "Who else is coming, Zabini?"

She could practically hear his smirk in his answer, "It's just you and me now."

She felt like crawling under a rock and staying there. There were twenty cauldrons set up because she was expectin high attendance, and there was only four people? Four! No wonder they didn't look happy with the room, they were expecting social time for four people, not a lab assignment for twenty.

She felt so foolish. And to top things off, she promised professor Slughorn 100 potions! There was no way she could complete that many in two days, especially on top of her studies.

"I need to get back to work," she mumbled, dismissing him." I have a hundred due by Thursday."

He raised an eyebrow. "Let's get to work then."

"We won't be able to get all these done. There's just not enough time tonight," she said, defeated.

"Well," he drawled, "I guess we'll just have to meet up again and finish."

Hermione was pleased he was offering his help for the next two days. It was nice to have someone willing to help, even if it was someone she barely knew.

He grabbed her knife and sliced the first of the mushrooms. Dropping the sliced bits into the cauldron, he teased, "By the way, you should know that your hair doubles in size when you're mad."

Hermione giggled and shook her head. It was such an odd comment that she felt her dread of the next days pass, the stinging embarrassment replaced with a wave of nervousness, with an elated undertone. _Maybe these meetings won't be so bad __after all._

* * *

><p><strong>Twelve followers? Seven reviews? Four favorites? In one chapter?! That's the best response yet! AHH. I know Thanksgiving was yesterday, but I'm thankful for all of you guys! (Side note- I know that not all my readers are American and don't celebrate our gluttonous holiday.)<strong>

**Anyways, I shall respond to reviews now:**

**redhead414- Thank you! Also, I think your review started a revolution; Ch. 7 alone had as many reviews as _my entire story_ had before it. **

**artlover8992, twilightlover427, and Jessicada- Thank you! :)  
><strong>

**ASJS- Haha, very true. He can definitely talk to her, and I'm sure he will. Although, Draco being the immature git we all know he can be, I'm sure sometimes she will wish he wouldn't talk to her. **

**Billy Green- Blaise will definitely play a large part in this story, and you're right; It wasn't Hermione in his world. I actually wanted to write a little one shot of his time in the future, but I think I'll prolly just include a little blurb about it in the story somewhere.**

**Goose/Guest- I'm sorry you find the story unsatisfactory. My thought process to why she fell so hard for him was because he was already in love with her. Not in a stalker-y way like in other stories, but he loved her in a very real way. ****(Though, shout out to those stories, because I love them too.) ****And I think, for her to continue to hate someone who loves her so much is absurd. Although, I don't think she was in love with this Draco, as you said, I think she just wanted to have the same thing for her future. Hence why she would want the present Draco to fall in love with her. She did want to have the same type of love that her future had, though, and I think it's hard for her to give up on even trying to have that with someone.**

**The last answer is for everyone's benefit, in case there was confusion, or you felt similarly. I hope that cleared things up. If not, review or PM me if there's something you're confused about.  
><strong>

**-Lights.**


	10. Intentions

"You've got the words to change a nation, but you're biting your tongue. You've spent a life time stuck in silence, afraid you'll say something wrong,"Emeli Sande.

Chapter 9 Intentions Pt. 1

Hermione couldn't stop thinking about how lucky she was that Blaise offered to help her complete all 100 potions. And in less than two days! All of her free periods were spent with him, along with meals that they took in the kitchens to continue working. It was such a kind, selfless gesture. She was beginning to think she was making a friend. He was easy going, smart, and although not very talkative, he had a way of making her laugh. Which, right now, she needed.

They had planned on walking to class together, but Hermione wanted to check in with Harry and make sure there was no new news on the criminals. She walked alongside Harry, who informed her that there was no news on from the Order, but that they would be leaving at midnight by Portkey. She knew this was coming, but she still felt tears forming. She didn't know when the next time she would see him would be. Unlike previous adventures, she wouldn't be joining them, and wouldn't be able to stand with them when they faced danger. After wiping the tears on her jacket sleeve, and giving Harry a hug, they entered the classroom.

Blaise and Draco were already seated, along with two other people. It was a change from the usual. She couldn't remember even one occasion where they arrived in a class before her.

Following Harry's light footsteps, she walked the aisle between the wooden tables. When she got close enough to where her neck began turning in order to watch them, she turned her attention to the worn-down podium directly in front of her, and refused to let her eyes shift.

She didn't want them to catch her watching them. It was an odd dilemma. On one hand, she wanted to say hello, but on the other, she didn't know if Blaise and her could be classified as friends yet. He wasn't obligated to talk to her if he didn't want to, but she also didn't want to seem rude by not acknowledging them. A voice in her head was also warning her to stay away from Draco. Not only because of the promise, but he had been complete arse last time they had seen each other.

As she walked past them, Hermione felt a tug on her rucksack pulling her backwards. The pull itself wasn't hard, but she was walking so fast she had to take two steps back to avoid falling backwards.

She turned around to see what she had caught on, but all she saw was Blaise's hand in midair moving back to the table to rest. He raised an eyebrow and attempted to cover a smile at her almost-fall. His reaction made her laugh nervously. She was glad that decided for her how to approach their new friendship, but sitting next to Blaise was one very disgruntled Draco. Obviously, she wasn't the only one still upset with yesterday's encounter. She looked between the two wondering if Blaise was going to say anything before Draco blew his top. Fortunately, he did.

"Would you like to sit with us?" he asked, ignoring the angry blond next to him. Hermione looked at Draco, who was now staring at Blaise with complete contempt.

Hermione looked for Harry, who was looking at the episode through narrowed eyes, waiting for Hermione's cue to jump in. He wasn't the only one staring either. There were at least a dozen people watching the interaction, speaking in hushed whispers that would surely make their way into the rumor mill. She hadn't had the time to catch Harry up on the last few days, so he didn't know about her new friendship with Blaise.

Dismissing Harry and declining Blaise, she shook her head. "I'm going to sit with Harry. I'll see you in potions."

Hermione turned to leave once more, but another tug stopped her. "Hermione?" He questioned while letting go of her bag for the second time. Looking up at her through thick, dark lashes, he asked, "Will you sit with me then?"

She smiled genuinely and nodded once before making her way to the front of the room.

As soon as the lecture ended Harry pushed his chair away from the desk sharply, making a harsh screeching noise, before turning towards Hermione. "What on earth was that about?" He asked, shifting his eyes to the back of the room to indicate what he was referring to.

Hermione internally rolled her eyes. She was allowed to interact with people in a friendly manner, no matter who they were. Not looking for a fight, she replied simply, "Blaise is a friend."

_Of course_ that wasn't a good enough for Harry. "Since when? _Why?_"

She knew she'd have to explain it to him at some point, but the way he was asking the questions, as if she were committing treason, made her want to be purposely short with him. "Since he's been helping me with some private work, and he's not as bad as you think he is."

"What does 'not as bad as you think he is' even mean? And if you need help, I'm here right now!" he practically shouted.

"Let me rephrase that; He's not bad at all. And you won't be here after today! Who is going to help me then?" She was running out of patience for having to defend herself. She could talk to whomever she pleased.

"I just," she sighed. "I needed help, and he offered. End of discussion."

"Okay," Harry conceded, "Fine, but just know that if he, or Malfoy, cause you any trouble come to me first."

"Thanks Harry, I will," Hermione replied and walked away. She only had an hour until her next class, and she needed to finish the homework that she'd been neglecting the past few days.

* * *

><p>Walking down the empty corridor to potions, she heard a noise from behind her that made her hair stand on end. She was sure she had heard footsteps.<p>

She snatched her wand out of her pocket and pointed it at the clear air surrounding her. Shifting her arm in no particular direction, she squinted, looking for any abnormality. She knew someone was there.

A slight tingle crept up the right side of neck from someone grazing her hair, while a menacing voice whispered. "Boo."

Hermione turned around and shouted the first spell that came to mind. "Stupefy!"

Unable to see the target, she moved around with one hand still gripping her wand and the other brushing the air to search for the perpetrator. She internally cursed herself for not hitting her target, and from the corner of her eye she saw a figure form in thin air. She should have known he would search her out.

"What do you want Malfoy?" she sighed, lowering her wand.

"You see me and lower your wand? And to think that the very same brain is the one that kept Potter alive in the war. How ever did you survive?"

Ignoring the jab, and keeping her wand at her side, she shrugged. "We mostly survived on luck, strategy, and towards the end, skill."

Draco didn't reply. Instead, he whipped his wand out, stopping short only five centimeters from her nose.

After the war, it seemed that no one took him seriously. People no longer looked up to him. They no longer saw him as a respectable wizard. He could feel his anger boiling over. He didn't want her to feel comfortable enough to lower her wand when he was around. He hated that she was so quick to lower her wand. _She thinks I'm weak too_.

"So quick to forget about the war, Granger?" he said, keeping his voice steady. He didn't want her to think they could be friends. He wanted respect. "Don't you remember the fear that stole you when you were caught by the snatchers? How about the pain while you lay on my manor's floor, screaming, while my aunt tortured you? Remember that? Have you forgotten your enemies? Have you forgotten that not everyone was on the light side?"

The words reminded her of how cruel he could be. He had sat back and watched her branded like an animal by the carvings of his aunt. He had sat back and watched as she was cursed over and over. How could he bring up one of the worst moments of her life and throw it back in her face?

Gaining some composure, she raised her chin and looked down his wand. Staring into his eyes, she replied steadily, "I'm not afraid of you. I know you're not as bad as you want to make yourself seem. You think that people don't respect you, and you're right. People don't. You need to earn respect, and not through bullying and intimidation, but by showing them that you've changed. _You_ get to choose your future."

"Pick the path you want, and for Merlin sake, Malfoy, pick it soon." She swatted at his wand, forcing it out of his hand, and continued, "No one is going to respect a git who raises his wand simply because someone's not threatened."

She turned around and began walking to her class once more. She hoped her words would make a difference. She knew that he was stubborn. Perhaps he would just write off her words as meaningless. Either way, she may have made a promise stay away from him, but there was no way she was going to sit back and watch him self destruct in front of her eyes. Hermione was going to help him no matter what it took. She couldn't let his demons keep him back.

Remembering they had class together, she called over her shoulder, "See you in potions, Malfoy!"

Draco caught up with her in the hallway and entered the room behind her. Although most people were in their seats working on their assignment when they walked in, there were a select few people who looked up with open mouths when they saw Draco standing right behind Hermione. She was rarely late, and to have Draco, also late, walking in at the same time? Well, now that was something to talk about, especially after talking to Blaise in Transfiguration earlier.

Hermione ignored these people however, opting to look at one person who she knew would be worried. He wore a grimace, and his face was a bright shade of red. She knew he wouldn't let this pass. After all, he was just trying to watch out for her. Ron knew it was dangerous for her to be talking to Draco so soon after the spell, but she didn't want him to worry. She gave a small wave and smile, hoping he wouldn't cause a scene, but knowing it was futile.

Joining Blaise at the table, they began working on the day's potion. Fortunately for Hermione, there were still only a select few paying attention, and Slughorn was no where to be seen. Ron gave a look of utter distaste, stalked over to her table, and grabbed her arm. Dragging her away from the table, he hissed, "_What are you doing?_"

"Working on my potion, _Ron_," she replied, jerking her arm out of her grip.

"What are you doing sitting with Malfoy? Hermione, you can't do that!" His eyes never wandered from hers, but her eyes were glued to the blond who was watching them with a clenched jaw and angry eyes.

Ron was angry for a different reason than she suspected Malfoy thought Ron was angry for. She knew Ron's words could have been easily misinterpreted by Malfoy. She wondered if situations like this would stop him from trying to be a good person. After all, if you are constantly treated like the enemy, how can you see yourself as anything but? She didn't want him to feel ashamed. She wanted him to know it was okay to grow as a person.

"Ron, I'm sorry, but this isn't your concern," she hushed, hoping he would take the hint.

"You made a promise. Do you remember that? You _promised_, Hermione," he reminded, his concern only growing with her last statement.

"I know I made a promise, but I promised _that person, _not you." She wanted him to drop the subject. She wanted to talk about it later if they needed to, but the conversation shouldn't be heard by the entire class.

"Hermione, _please_-"

"That's enough, Weasel," Draco ordered, stepping to Hermione's side.

The entire class had cut off all conversation by this point, and were now staring wide-eyed at Malfoy's intervention. He knew that people would talk. He also knew he didn't care. Hermione's words from earlier hit him hard. He had treated that girl like vermin the entire time they had known each other, and even after a war where he fought on the dark side, she still didn't think she was evil.

Either she was truly the most naive girl he had ever met, or she was right. Maybe it was a bit of both.

Either way, he told his family he was going to attempt to be seen in a better light, and what better way than to befriend- No, he could never be friends with her- What better way than to be on_ decent terms_ with, St. Potter's best friend and heroine of the second wizarding war?

"She's sitting with me," he asserted, putting his arm around her shoulder and steering her back towards their table. Ron's shock had almost made Draco laugh, but as Blaise's eyes narrowed, Draco calmed and quickly withdrew his arm.

Hermione couldn't believe what had just happened. Draco's touch felt nice, safe even, for the brief moment it lasted. Although she wanted to smile, she knew this Draco wasn't the one that loved her, or even liked her for that matter.

Had her words from earlier impacted him? Or had he just wanted to one-up Ron? And why on earth had he touched her? It was all so strange, but with so many ears listening she knew she couldn't breech the subject.

Slughorn returned shortly after the confrontation holding a clip board and hobbled over to Hermione to let her know that all the potions they had worked on were up to standard. He also asked if she could help make burn creams. It wasn't a potion, and it wasn't as simple, but she could do it. The only problem was that she didn't have the time.

She told him as much, but Draco cut in, "We'll help."

Hermione shifted uncomfortably. She wanted him to choose the right path, but was reluctant about spending so much time with him. She didn't want to get close enough where she was imagining a future with him. She wondered if she could go crazy from merely spending time with him. Simple touches like earlier were enough for her to worry about, but now she had to worry about seeing and working with him regularly. That was what she had to watch out for: false hope. She had to be strong though. She couldn't let her fears stop her from helping. Harry, Ron, and countless others were counting on their help.

Slughorn nodded once, his chin wobbling slightly, and left for his desk to complete his task. She worked without a hitch on her potion and left. Hermione knew that she would have to face Ron eventually, but she'd talk to him later.

She made it halfway down the hall before she heard someone call out for her. "Granger!" Hermione turned around, shocked by the action. She never pictured him as someone who would yell in a hallway to get someone's attention.

Hermione smiled at the effort he put into catching up to her. He stopped mere inches away from Hermione, his shoes making a tiny squeak at the sudden halt, and his breath coming out in short, subtle gasps. He looked down his nose at Hermione, and in a voice that contrasted the earlier call, he asked, "Would you like to join me in the Astronomy tower for dinner?"

She wanted to, there was just one small problem...

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

I've already written the next chapter, so there will be an update sooner than usual... Hopefully. Honestly, it takes me an embarrassingly long time to complete a chapter, (6 hrs of writing and two hrs for edits) so it's kinda difficult to find time. **  
><strong>

Kinda embarrassing side note: There was a dead bug in my drink, and I called for my boyfriend to get me a new cup. Which is all fine and disgusting, but I called him Ron on accident... Only because it was the last word I had written! Don't worry dear readers, we are still together... I think he knows if it were a sub-conscience thought, I would have called him Draco. Haha. Okay, no but seriously, on to the reviews!

ASJS: Don't fret, she will be happy in the end. ;)

Rainbowflake: I'm actually kinda sad too! I'm quite attached to him.

Twilightlover427: Thanks!

Billy Green: Eileen's reasoning will be revealed next chapter. And Blaise is definitely capable of asking her out, but I think he wants her to get to know him before he does that. Especially because he had expressed his dislike for 'blood traitors', which I assume means he believed in some sort of blood purity before the war. So I think he's trying to gain trust instead of going head first. She was also with Ron when she was asked to join the group. All those combined is why Blaise has not asked her out. And thanks for pointing out Ron&Harry being OOC. I agree and because of that, I have now included Harry telling her they're leaving.


	11. Intentions Pt II

"I swear my intentions aren't as evil as you think, but temptation's always pushing people to the brink," G-Eazy.

Chapter 10 Intentions Part II

"That's a long way to walk with food," she said carefully, hoping that his next statement wouldn't be what she thought it would.

"We'll just have the house elves bring it up." Blaise shrugged. "They don't have anything better to do." Hermione almost hexed him for saying such an insensitive thing. She was sick of being the only one who cared about magical creatures. _Does anyone care about them besides me?_

"They have lives outside of serving students and cleaning up after them Blaise," she chastised, putting her hands on her hips. "Why can't we just eat dinner like normal? I quite liked the kitchens."

She missed the point completely. Blaise wasn't sure how you asked someone on a date twice, especially after asking them the first time had somehow insulted them. Instead of asking again, he played along. "Fine. I just wanted to make sure we are having dinner together."

"Sure," Hermione said, giving him an odd look. She wasn't sure what he had meant by that, but she turned and left for Herbology.

_That was an utter failure_, Blaise thought. She just _had_ to miss the meaning and focus on that one small detail. He'd never had trouble asking girls out before, but Hermione just _had _to be different. He turned around, and saw Draco leaning casually against a wall in a connecting hallway behind him. It was more than annoying that he had witnessed the event, and by the way Draco was smirking, there was no mistaking that he had seen it.

"That went well." Draco chuckled, kicking himself off the wall.

"Hmm." Blaise hummed, not allowing him to see his anger. He hated when Draco listened to his conversations. Instead of reacting, he turned the attention away from himself. "She reacts interestingly when you're around. Did you know that?" Blaise attempted to read his reaction, but couldn't tell what he was thinking. He was almost sure that Draco wasn't into Hermione, but it never hurt to make sure.

Draco scoffed, "The bossy girl with wild hair that you're so infatuated with?"

Blaise kept his face as still as stone, willing himself not to give his feelings on the matter away. Draco didn't need to know how he felt about the girl.

Unlike Blaise, Draco hadn't noticed anything off about her. She was still loud mouthed and passionate to the point where he wanted to strangle her. She looked the same as she always had, which is why Draco couldn't figure out what Blaise saw in her. She was still just annoying, plain Jane Granger. He hadn't seen her act oddly, and he was almost positive that the comment was to get him to react... which he wouldn't.

Instead of denial, he responded passively and added an insult for good measure. "She can react in whatever way she wants. I wouldn't touch her with a 50 foot Basilisk."

Draco knew the comment would bother him. _Soon he will_- Draco thought, while Blaise turned on his heal -_just walk away. _Draco smirked and followed. For someone who thought they were in complete control of their every move, his actions were always predictable.

* * *

><p>After dinner with Hermione, Blaise offered his arm. Dinner had been nice. It started with a heated disagreement, which they hadn't been able to compromise on, about the treatment of house elves, but ended with the normal conversation and teasing she was used to. They walked to the seventh floor together, arm in arm, to study group.<p>

"I should probably ask for the room this time," he said, letting her hand fall and winking at her.

She moved out of the way, smiling and bowing slightly, giving him the go ahead with her hand.

The thought of coming back to the group should have made her feel anxious, but his nonchalant attitude was soothing, and she couldn't help but giggle. He walked slowly by the room-less wall, but turned on his heal sharply at the end of each march. All the while, grinning and never letting his eyes leave hers. Hermione couldn't help but smile broadly at his flirtations.

When the door appeared and Hermione walked through first, stopping only far enough in to let Blaise through. The room was not what she would have ever expected for a study group. The lighting was dim, with two plush red couches, a coffee table, and a small fireplace. The coffee table had two small cauldrons with only one stirrer, a mallet, and a knife. There were no vials or lab desks, and the corner had a small table which held a bottle of red wine and a bottle of Firewiskey. This had to have been the most relaxed study room she had ever been in.

Hermione knew the room could not create food or drink, so she assumed it was left over from a previous study session. The room's atmosphere was like a force field against any awkward feelings she may have had before. She sat on the couch facing the fireplace, and took out two large, cloth bags and set them on the table in front of the utensils.

Blaise opened the first bag, and grabbed a flower off of the top.

"Moly?" he asked, presenting it to Hermione as if it were a gift. Her nose scrunched at the pungent smell. She grabbed the flower from his hand and threw it back into its bag while Blaise opened the second one.

"Ah, the wonders of Dittany," he said, as Draco walked in with the Ravenclaw behind him.

"Back to normal I see," he said, approving the room.

Noticing the bags on the table, Eileen complained, "Hermione, I thought we told you last time that this is a social gather-"

"Enough," Draco said, glaring at Eileen. "I approved it this time," he added, raising his nose in the air.

Hermione rolled her eyes. She didn't need his approval to do anything. If she wanted to come here every week with a new potion, not even the 'great' Draco Malfoy would stop her.

"What have you prepared for us this time?" he asked while throwing himself backward on the empty couch.

Hermione pulled a cylindrical tube with a red-grey hue that held the last ingredient from her bag along with a stack of small plastic bags.

"Sloth Brains?" Eileen inquired.

Hermione was excited they knew all the ingredients and without asking her for help!

"Do you know what we're making?" she asked Eileen, who shook her head. She looked at Blaise who also shook his head. Lastly she looked at Draco. "Dittany, Moly, and Sloth Brains. Simple, we're making Burn-Healing paste," he informed in a bored tone.

"Do you know how to form it, Malfoy?" Hermione challenged.

Draco snorted. "Do I know how to form it," he mocked. Snatching the Moly and mallet from the table, he began crushing the flower until it was a powder. Hermione watched intently, making sure it was made properly.

He asked her for one of the plastic bags, which she offered willingly. After he snatched it from her hand, he went to add the Dittany. "You're doing it wrong," she interrupted in a singsong voice, already peeved from how rudely he had taken the bag from her.

Draco glared at her but waited for her to continue, knowing she was right. He hadn't been sure about the order in which the ingredients went, but he wasn't going to tell her that if he could have gotten away with it.

"You add the Dittany last. If you put it in before the brains, it will weaken it and make it almost useless," she said, wanting him to know whyit wouldn't work. At her wordy response, he rolled her eyes. Draco found it incredibly irritating that she always deemed it necessary to add more information than required. It would have been enough if she had just told him how to do it, but Hermione just _had_ to add a bunch of extra nonsense.

Huffing, he grabbed the sloth brains and began mashing it with his hands. It wasn't incorrect, but when Eileen and Blaise both turned to her with horrified eyes she couldn't help but burst into laughter. After straightening up, she wiped the tears on her sleeve and reached into her bag, handing him a pair of gloves.

His face was a barely-tinted red, probably the most colour she'd ever seen on it. He looked down at his hands that were now caked in a thick red mixture of brains and powder. He was only trying to prove that he knew how to make it, but she had somehow made him so mad that he forget to ask for gloves. Merlin,that bloody woman made him look like an idiot.

He threw his hands in front of her, making Hermione gag at the smell. "Care to clean me off, Granger?"

She completed a quick Scourgify on his hands. The salve wouldn't lose its horrendous smell until they added the Dittany, and even then it still smelled, just not enough to induce vomit. She quickly wrote down the instructions for everyone, and gave them each a pair of gloves, so there would be no more mishaps.

After using almost all of the ingredients, they all gave up. It went by much faster than the potions Blaise had helped her with. Having two extra people really sped up the process. It also helped that she knew there were only four people so she could plan accordingly.

Hermione was now sipping on a glass of red wine, while Blaise, Eileen, and Draco all chose Firewiskey. "I think I'll be heading back to my dormitory now," Eileen said, looking hopefully at Draco.

"And I'll be finishing my drink," he said, lifting his glass to emphasize his point.

Eileen looked around the room, and gave a brittle smile, hoping no one had been paying close attention to the snub. Blaise downed his whiskey and stood from his spot on the floor. "I'll walk you back," he said.

Blaise leaned over Draco and said something Hermione couldn't hear, before walking out the door Eileen was holding him. Whatever Blaise said, it had obviously annoyed Draco, because his grip tightened around his glass and his eyes shifted away as if he were listening to a parent complaining about his behaviour.

The door closed silently, and Hermione wondered if she should also leave. She probably shouldn't be spending time alone with him. He seemed to be in a foul mood, but it would probably be a bad idea to stay even if that weren't the case.

Instead, she stayed glued to her spot in front of the table on the floor. She wondered why he hadn't walked Eileen back to her room. She also wondered what could possess him to willingly stay in same room alone with Hermione, but she quickly thought about how stupid it was to assume she was even part of the equation; He already said that he wanted to finish his whiskey.

"You're spending an awful lot of time with Blaise," Draco said, interrupting her thoughts. The lighting formed dark shadows underneath his eyes, making him look menacing, as if he was going to know what she was thinking by simply looking at her. Well, he would just have to get used to being disappointed, because Hermione was not going to allow him to intimidate her.

Without reacting, she kept her eyes on his and said, "If you can recall, you refused to help with the potions, so we were forced to spend a lot time toge-"

"I don't think so," he interjected, not allowing her to give him that excuse. "You had dinner with him tonight, and I know you weren't working on potions." He put the glass on the table and leaned back in his seat, giving her that smug look she hated.

"Unlike some people," she argued, sitting up straighter, "he wants to help the people who need it."

Draco laughed a short, humourless laugh. "Oh really? How sweet of him."

"Don't mock him for being a better person than y-"

"Blaise doesn't do anything that isn't self serving," he growled. "You'd best to remember that, Granger. The world isn't full of helpful Hufflepuffs. He asked Eileen to invite you here because he wants to _fuck_ you," he said, emphasizing '_fuck_' with a sneer.

She was taken back, not because of what he had said, but how he had said it. She suspected that Blaise had been the one that wanted her to join. However, what bothered Hermione was the sickly sweet smile Draco was wearing for being the one to deliver the news. Hermione felt ill from Malfoy's pleasure for being the one to tell her something that was obviously intended to make her feel bad.

She swallowed the lump in her throat, set her wine on the table, and attempted to sound just as rude as him. "Was that an attempt to hurt me?" She laughed. "You're just confirming what I already suspected. If he fancies me, that's his prerogative. He's nice, smart, and sincere. What about you, Malfoy? Do you think you have any of those traits? This is the second time in a row that you've left Eileen to walk back to her room alone. And both times Blaise had to step-"

"She's not my responsibility," Draco growled. "If she wants to walk back, she can do it-"

"She likes you!" Hermione burst out. "She doesn't want to walk back alone, you git. She wants you to go with her, or at least act as if you give a damn!" she hollered. She blamed her out burst on Draco. If he hadn't been so bloody happy at trying to see her to be miserable, then none of this would have happened.

"Shut the fuck up, Granger," he warned, balling his fists and leaning forward.

Hermione lifted her chin, refusing to feel threatened. The way he was acting towards people was going to ensure a friendless life. She didn't want him to go through what he had in the future, but she also knew she shouldn't let him know he cared. So she settled somewhere in the middle, a friendly warning. Calming her voice, she advised, "If you continue to treat people the way you do, you will find it's a very lonely life without friends."

"I don't need anyone at this forsaken school," he said, grabbing his drink and taking a large swig before leaning back into his chair. He could feel his anger dissipating as the alcohol set in. His brain was starting to get a tad fuzzy, but he felt he needed to finish the conversation, and said, "Good riddance to anyone who thinks that I need them."

Hermione shook her head, knowing that her words would fall on deaf ears, but wanting to get her point across. "Malfoy, you are the only family that hasn't spoken to the news about your remorse. Sooner or later, you're going to need a good support system. No one's going to accept monetary sums as an apology for what you did in the war. Eventually, you're going to need the people you're carelessly disregarding."

"How do you know about our donations?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. So far, none of the papers had written a single article about it. It seemed as if no one cared that they were shelling out buckets of Galleons to numerous organizations, so how did she know?

Hermione looked at the armrest on the couch where he was resting the glass within his grip. Trying to think of a lie, she said the first thing that came to mind. "Through the grapevine." That could possibly be the most plausible, yet vaguest lie she ever told.

Draco's lips quirked up in the corners. He was hoping that people would start to take notice of his family's donations soon. He was glad that even if the papers didn't cover their charity, word of mouth would work just as well.

Hermione was surprised at how well her lie had gone over. _At least I can lie to this Draco._ Sure, she might not be a good liar, but Draco didn't know her that well, so she could get away with it. Plus, he had seemed happy at her response, so it wasn't such a terrible lie.

When silence fell upon them, Hermione wondered if she should leave. She didn't think her intentions were anything but friendly, but there was always the chance she was here for subconscious reasons. Why did things have to be so complicated? If she had never tried the spell in the first place she wouldn't be so worried about leaving Malfoy's company. Although, she probably wouldn't even be sitting in the same room as him if it weren't for the spell.

Hermione decided to leave. She needed to meet Harry and Ron before they left anyways. She gave Draco her goodbye, needlessly explaining her reasoning for leaving.

"I'll walk you there." He stood, but noticed the action had put him much to close to Hermione. However she didn't seem disturbed, and he didn't feel inclined to move. He thought it was odd that she didn't take a step back. It made him think of Blaise's comment earlier. This was definitely something that Draco thought could be classified as 'acting interestingly'. Even if she wasn't exactly doing anything, not moving was strange in and of itself.

Draco was looking at her queerly, as if she were a puzzle to figure out. Hermione wondered what had caused him to look that way but didn't bother asking. She needed to see her friends before they left. Getting there before they left for good was all that mattered right now.

While on the way there, he asked why they were leaving school. She relayed the information to him. After all, she doubted Harry could drop out of school without people finding out his reasoning. Although Hermione thought Draco would be indifferent, he actually seemed worried. It was odd that Malfoy cared at all, but to actually get a reaction from him was very strange indeed.

They began descending the staircase from the seventh floor hurriedly. Their wands held in front of them, illuminating light on their surroundings, for it was almost midnight and would be impossible to see without them. The portraits on the walls would either groan or yell when they passed, but Hermione paid them no mind, because at the top of the staircase, Draco had breached a subject she was hoping to avoid.

"So you promised someone you'd stay away from me, huh?" he asked, trying to seem casual about it, but still making sure that it was interpreted as a question.

Hermione was surprised he hadn't mocked her for it. After all, promising to stay away from someone usually indicates some extent of fear towards the person. It also would mean that the person is either a problem or dangerous. She decided he was both to her- he was her very own dangerous problem she couldn't seem to stay away from. Instead of ignoring him, which would have definitely been the simpler option, she decided to sate his curiosity with a somewhat-truth.

"I promised someone I hold very dear to me that I would stay away from you." _It was you!_ "He didn't like the idea of me talking to you." _Because I want to be with you!_ "He- Well, he thought you were a danger to me." _Probably b__ecause you are._ She glanced at Draco who was holding his wand towards the lower floors in order to watch the direction the staircases were moving.

She almost thought he hadn't heard her, but his entire body was tense and held the darkest look she'd ever seen from him, his eyes almost black from anger. She hadn't expected that reaction. Annoyance, perhaps, but anger? No, she definitely hadn't expected that. He usually did well to cover his emotions, but not this time. When she determined he wouldn't be commenting on her response, she commented in hopes that he would give insight. "You look upset."

He didn't want to tell her that it made his blood boil to think that people were making promises to avoid him, and even more so her. He wanted respect, not for people to avoid him. What if that's why people barely talked to him anymore? Were people making promises to stay away from him? Even people from his house were treating him as a leper lately, save Blaise. Only a handful of people talked to him this year at all.

It made him want to seriously harm whoever Granger promised. He didn't know why he was so bothered that Granger had vowed to keep away from him, but it did. Maybe it was because he was trying to be seen in a better light with the muggle-born community. Maybe it was because she was the one person who had the gall to stand up to him since the war, or perhaps because she was the only one who seemed to notice that he has been on a downward spiral these past few months. Whatever the reasoning, he wasn't going to tell her.

Instead, they walked in silence until they stopped short at the end of the hall, right before entering the room. They were still a good deal away from all the commotion, and no one seemed to notice their appearance. There were already a handful of people crowded around the exit. The older weasel was laughing with the professors who had their back towards them, and a semiprivate moment was shared between the Weaslet who was crying into the shirt of the Boy Who Lived. It was everything he hated about them. He hated how close they all were. He hated that they could express their emotions so clear for everyone to see and not have to worry about ridicule. It made him sick.

Hermione looked at Draco, who was looking at the room with utmost distaste. Hermione wondered if he could ever have the same relationship with them as he had in the future. She knew he didn't know that they had all been friends in the future. He'd laughed at old times with them just as Ron was doing. He'd consoled Hermione just as Harry was. By the look on his face however, she had a feeling that he's never had these kinds of relationships in his life, and she felt so very sorry for him.

When Ron looked beyond the group of professors he was entertaining, his face fell and morphed into a red that was almost the shade of his hair. Draco almost laughed at his reaction. Almost, only because when he turned to leave Hermione looked as white as a the Bloody Baron.

Whatever promise she had made, she was with him now, and there was nothing the red-head could do about it. If she was scared about Weasley yelling at her for being with him again, he would give him an actual reason to yell. He heard him make a quick excuse to leave the group, but before he could reach them, Draco decided to give Weasley a parting gift.

Draco put his hand on Hermione's shoulder, guiding her in front of him, before he leaning down and Whispering goodnight. Grabbing both her hands, he moved from her ear to her cheek and placed a barely-there kiss. Lingering only for a moment, he leaned back, looking at her for the first time he'd ever truly looked at her. She had freckles strewn about her nose and cheekbones. Her eyes were a deep chocolate colour with full, long lashes. He'd definitely seen prettier women in his life, but there was still something very alluring about the way she opened her mouth slightly, as if she were inviting him for more.

The thought was preposterous. Crazy even. 'Granger' and 'alluring' shouldn't even belong in the same sentence. Dropping her hands, he walked away as quickly as possible. The lanky Gryfindor had almost made it to them, and he didn't want to stick around for that part. He was almost down the hall before he heard yelling, but his thoughts were on something else entirely. All he could think about was Granger's silent invitation, and trying to think of a plausible reason for it.

Hermione's heart was beating double time. _What had just happened?_ He kissed her. Albeit, on the cheek, but she didn't think they were friendly enough to warrant a kiss.

Oh, how she wanted it though. When he had whispered in her ear, she felt as though her knees were going to buckle, but when he kissed her? She felt as if she were floating on air. She couldn't even form the words to say goodbye. The proximity itself had her brain completely blank on how to form words.

However the Draco induced mush-brain only lasted a moment longer before Ron burst out, "Hermione, please tell me you're not doing what I think you're doing!"

Hermione stared emptily at Ron. "I've been extra careful not to give anything away, yet he still kissed me. He walked me here, and then he kissed me," she mumbled, mostly to herself. "Ron, do you think this means something?"

She looked up at her friend hopefully. She couldn't help but think this meant something. Maybe this meant that she still had a chance of happiness with him. Before she could reach another conclusion, Ron wrapped his arms around her and gave a bone-crushing hug.

"Mione, for both of our sake, please stay away from him." He let her go and grabbed both her shoulders, his face showing the most concern she had seen from him since, oddly enough, they were trapped at Malfoy Manor.

"I don't know what just happened, but your reaction _proves_ that just being near him is dangerous," he said, letting go of her shoulders. "I won't be here to remind you anymore, and I can't keep you away from him, but you need to do it for yourself. You _have_ to do that for yourself."

Hermione nodded her head solemnly. She knew she wasn't going to stay away from him. She was far past being able to do that, but she would remain calm about the situation. She would just continue on as if nothing happened.

When Harry walked over, he took one look between the two. Sensing tension, he asked what was wrong. Harry hadn't seen the kiss, or even Draco, so he didn't have a clue as to why they looked so upset. Hermione still hadn't told him about what had transpired during the Procul Futurae spell. She just didn't want anyone but her and Ron to know for now, but she also knew she wouldn't be able to get away with lying to Harry.

Much to Hermione's surprise, Ron saved her the trouble. "I'm just worried for her is all."

Harry smiled and began taking something from his bag. "Why you two decided to stop dating is beyond me," he said without much interest. Hermione and Ron both looked at each other guiltily for not telling him the whole truth of their break up. Harry took two items from his bag that she instantly recognized.

He looked at them fondly before confirming Hermione's prediction as to why he wanted her to have them. "In case we need you to do some research," he said, looking over his shoulder to make sure the Professors weren't listening. "You know, research in the part of library that you can't get to." Harry knew that Aurors were able to get their hands on any book they required, but he also knew no one can research better than Hermione.

Hermione took the map and the cloak. Promising to take care of them, and to help them however she could. She gave Harry a quick hug, told them both to be safe, and left.

Hermione was never good at goodbyes.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** As I said, this update is sooner than usual, but the next two weeks are finals, so I am not going to allow myself to write until I'm done with all that, sorry. :/ Originally it was my_intention _for this to be one chapter, but if I had done that it would have been gigantic! Even now, it's almost double the size of part 1. **_  
><em>**

Again, thank you all for your continued support and thoughts on the story. If anyone likes looking at maps like me, I made a map for this story during some free time in class this week. I also noticed while making the map that this story would be shortened to AFU. Like, Ay Eff You. And I'm immensely pleased by that for some reason.

On to review responses:

1019: Well, she didn't exactly say no... ;) And you're right, there's no way he can be that Draco any longer. &&Thank you I'm glad you like the concept.

AllyRose4129: I'm sure you'll be pleased with the end. I can't let my OTP be unhappy.

Reddhothead: You're too sweet. And I would say I'm not a quitter, but I am. I quit on half the things in my life. However, this story will be finished no matter what. I can't even begin to explain how much happiness this story has brought me these past few months. So, don't worry, it will probably be completed by the time I go back to college in February.

ASJS: You guessed right! :)

Also, thanks to the guests who left reviews!

Sorry that I led some of you to think Draco was the one to ask Hermione to dinner.. but I couldn't help myself. ;)


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